Drake hits the jackpot with Keno
PEORIA - The gambling game of Keno is all about the numbers. So there is some marvelous symmetry that a guy named Keno would begin his college head coaching career putting up some numbers that boggle the mind.
Keno Davis' 26th-ranked Drake Bulldogs, who meet Bradley at 7:05 tonight at Carver Arena, are the underdog toasts of the nation with their remarkable 14-1 mark and 13-game winning streak.
Both numbers are all-time bests at the small, private school that was thrilled last season to barely post its first winning men's basketball record in 20 years. Only once before - during the program's brief peek at glory in the late 1960s and early 1970s - has Drake managed a better Missouri Valley Conference start than its 5-0 run so far.
This year wasn't supposed to be anything special for the Bulldogs, who lost four starters and their Yoda-like coach, Dr. Tom Davis, from that 17-15 team. Davis' son's first team was picked for a distant ninth in the MVC preseason poll.
"Fourteen and one is hard to believe," the younger Davis said Tuesday. "You've got to pinch yourself every day that we have that kind of record. It's nice to be in this situation, but it doesn't mean a ton to this team because nobody's going to ask at the end of the year where you were 15 games in.
"I just want us to keep improving so by the time the conference tournament rolls around, we're playing our best basketball."
It would be pretty hard to top their caliber of play so far. Drake's only loss has been a six-point defeat at Saint Mary's on Nov. 10.
Since then, the Bulldogs have beaten Iowa State by 35 points and are 4-0 on the road, including their first win at Iowa since 1967, a rare victory at Wichita State and a rarer win over Southern Illinois. Then on Saturday, without leading scorer Josh Young, the Bulldogs snapped a 10-game losing streak to Missouri State.
Young, who sprained his ankle during a rout of Indiana State a week ago, hasn't practiced, but Davis said he wasn't sure if the 6-foot-1 sophomore guard would play tonight.
"Nothing would be out of the question," Davis said. "He won't be out for an extended long term, but I have no idea whether he's back in a game or two."
Young's importance to Drake can't be understated. Besides averaging a league-leading 16.3 points, he ranks second in the Valley in 3-point baskets (2.9 per game) and fourth in steals (2.1).
Everybody else stepped up in Young's absence vs. the Bears in a 65-54 win, particularly forwards Klayton Korver (19 points) and Jonathan Cox (13 points) and guard Leonard Houston (16 points).
The defense, which starts with a three-quarter court zone press, also continued to sparkle. The last 13 Drake opponents have shot a combined 38 percent from the field and the Bears didn't score for the last 4:18 of the game.
Senior point guard Adam Emmenecker, a three-year walk-on before this year who played little, ranks second in the MVC in assists and third in assists-to-turnover ratio.
"Emmenecker is the guy who makes them go," said Indiana State coach Kevin McKenna. "He's playing lights out, setting guys up and making good decisions. And Jon Cox (a 6-8 player who shoots 3s) is a tough matchup."
Davis said the key to his team's success is the ability to stay relaxed and confident.
"You don't want them to start worrying about the streak," he said. "As coaches, we try to keep them as loose as possible. They're great to be around and they're having a lot of fun with this. But I'm not expecting us to be 29-1 or anything crazy like that."
Braves briefs: Daniel Ruffin's injury rehab is going fine, BU coach Jim Les said Tuesday. "There have been no setbacks, but there is no timetable," Les said. "We'll err on the side of caution." ... Jeremy Crouch, who's carrying a 3.09 cumulative GPA in secondary education, was named the Bradley Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
Dave Reynolds can be reached at 686-3210 or at dreynolds@pjstar.com.