NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Poll Position
Drake moved up to No. 21 in Monday’s Associated Press’ women’s Top 25 poll. The Bulldogs went 1-0 last week with a road win at Creighton. This is the highest ranking for the Bulldogs since it closed the 2016-17 season at No. 20 in the final regular season AP poll.
Still Perfect
Bradley remained the only undefeated team in the MVC with a 73-64 win over Oakland. The six-game win streak is the longest for the Braves since winning six consecutive games during the 2009-10 season. The Braves have won seven consecutive non-conference games dating back to last season for the longest non-conference win streak for Bradley since winning 11 consecutive regular-season non-conference contests between the 2000-01 and 2002-03 campaigns. The 6-0 start to the year is the second-best in program history behind only the 9-0 start to the 2001-02 campaign.
Rollin’ Ramblers
Loyola extended its winning streak to three games on Monday night, picking up a hard-fought 64-53 victory over Western Michigan. The win brings the Ramblers’ record to 5-2, marking the program’s best start through seven games since the 2001-02 team posted an identical mark en route to a 6-2 start.
Road Success
Indiana State leads the nation with a 4-0 road record this season, while Drake sits in a tie for second with a 3-0 road mark. Only 10 NCAA Division I teams have three or more road wins this season (as of Dec. 4). The Valley posted a 9-41 record on the road in non-league action last season and has already secured 14 road wins this year.
Home Sweet Home
Currently seven MVC teams remain unbeaten at home: Bradley (4-0), Drake (2-0), Illinois State (2-0), Loyola (3-0), UNI (2-0), Missouri State (1-0) and Southern Illinois (2-0) have unblemished records on their home courts this season. The Valley currently holds a 17-5 mark at home this season with 12 of the 17 games this week at home.
Power Five Wins
Drake has three Power Five wins on its resume as the Bulldogs have beaten South Carolina, Rutgers and Nebraska so far this season. The conference sits 3-4 against Power Five opponents. This week, the MVC schedule features three games against Big Ten schools, including Illinois (Indiana State), Indiana (Missouri State) and Purdue (Loyola). Last season, the MVC earned four wins over members of Power Five conferences.
Double Your Pleasure
Bradley’s Chelsea Brackmann is the only MVC player averaging a double-double this season. The junior is averaging 10.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game (41st nationally). Brackmann has two double-doubles on the season. Below are players with multiple double-doubles this season.
No. Player, Team
4 Abby Brockmeyer, Southern Illinois
Sara Rhine, Drake
2 Chelsea Brackmann, Bradley
Kerri Gasper, Evansville
Simone Goods, Illinois State
Megan Maahs, UNI
Senior CLASS Award Candidate
Drake’s Sammie Bachrodt has been named a candidate for the 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award. Bachrodt is among 30 NCAA Division I candidates in women’s basketball for the award which recognizes notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
1,000 Point Club
Drake junior Becca Hittner surpassed 1,000 career points with her 23 point effort in an 85-69 win at Creighton. She became the 32nd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark and is the third active Bulldog player to join the club. Currently five MVC players are in the 1,000 Point Club.
Current MVC Players in 1,000 Point Club
1,289 - Maddy Dean, Drake
1,175 - Sara Rhine, Drake
1,058 - Ellie Howell, UNI
1,055 - Meredith Hamlet, Valparaiso
1,021 - Becca Hittner, Drake
MVC Players Approaching 1,000 Points
945 - Sammie Bachrodt, Drake
879 - Becca Jonas, Drake
The RPI Ratings Game
The latest installment of the NCAA RPI Report (Dec. 3) has four Valley teams that rank in the top-100, led by Drake at No. 12, Indiana State at No. 58, Bradley at No. 89 and UNI at No. 93. The MVC ranks 14th among 32 conferences.