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Drake, Illinois State clash in MVC final

Mar 9, 2008 - 1:28 PM Illinois State (24-8) at No. 21 Drake (27-4) 2:00 pm EDT

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) - An automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament is on the line when No.21 Drake takes on Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game on Sunday.

The Bulldogs (27-4) are making their first appearance in the title game in the 32-year history of the MVC tournament, and are looking to officially clinch their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1971.

After Drake cruised in the quarterfinals against Indiana State on Friday, the Bulldogs posted a 75-67 victory over Creighton in the semifinals on Saturday.

The conference's Player of the Year, Adam Emmenecker had 20 points and a career-high 11 assists in Saturday's win.

The Redbirds (24-8), who are the second seed in the MVC tournament, are making their first appearance in the championship game since winning the title in 1998.

Illinois State beat Missouri State in the quarterfinals and then smothered Northern Iowa, 56-42, on Saturday.

Osiris Eldridge had 13 points to lead the Redbirds on Saturday and leads the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game.

Drake won both meetings with Illinois State during the regular season by a combined nine points.