Drake (2-0) is set to host South Dakota (1-3) in a battle between the Summit League and the Missouri Valley.

The aggressive Drake defense, spearheaded by Jon Carrol, who averages 20.5 points and 3 steals per game, will look to stymie a physical Coyote offense led by Vince Buzelis, who is shooting over 68% from the field this season.

First half

18:46 – Both teams playing good defense out of the gate, although very different stylistically. The Bulldogs are highly disruptive and aggressive in the passing lanes, while the Coyotes focus on solid fundamentals and preventing quality looks.

14:40 – South Dakota has opened up an early 6-point lead taking advantage of its superior size and strength. They’ve weaponized those assets in several ways, including finding kickout threes, out muscling Drake in the pick and roll, and straight drives and post entries. The Bulldogs have to find a way to keep the ball out of the middle.

11:57 – The Bulldog offense has completely stagnated, not scoring a single point between media timeouts. Drake’s defense has been solid to keep this game close. Drake needs to create more offense on the perimeter, because the moment the ball goes into the post, the play has been ended quickly.

10:00 – Drake got back on the board with a pair of free throws, but the Bulldogs haven’t made a shot from the field in over 6 minutes.

9:29 – Carrol finally breaks the cold streak with a short jumper.

6:02 – Drake has found its footing. Carrol hits a couple layups to get up to 9 points, and Larson gives the Bulldogs a spark with the team’s first made three.

3:55 – Carrol into double digits on a game-tying free throw. Now it’s Drake’s defense completely shutting down the ‘Yotes, as South Dakota is on a 3:50 stretch without a field goal.

0:36 – After an 0/5 start from beyond the arc, the Bulldogs have now made their last three shots from deep, giving them a narrow 28-27 lead.

First half photos

First half takeaways

Drake leads 30-29 at halftime in spite of shooting just 40% from the field.

The Bulldog defense got after it, forcing 9 turnovers and taking away 6 steals in the first half, a major reason for their edge at the break.

Drake’s offense has been stagnant, with only 4 team assists and no players with multiple assists, they’ll need more flow in the second half.

Kelderman leads South Dakota with 11 points, he has 3 of the Coyotes’ 4 threes, Drake will need to run him off the line.

Both teams are struggling from the free throw line, shooting 50% each from the stripe.

Second half

16:16 – Kelderman hits a pair of threes out of the break to get up to 17 points, giving the Coyotes a 37-35 lead and forcing a Bulldog timeout. 2 Bulldog turnovers already in the half.