Photos: Drake Bulldogs win MVC Arch Madness in St. Louis | STLPR - St. Louis Public Radio

The Drake Bulldogs Men’s Basketball team will go dancing in this year’s NCAA March Madness tournament after capturing the Missouri Valley Conference “Arch Madness” championship title in a blowout 77-51 victory against the Bradley Braves.

“I’m in awe right now,” said Drake’s senior forward Darnell Brodie after an awards ceremony following his team’s win. “This season has just been an an up and down. Everybody doubted us. All that matters at the end is how you finish though.”

The Des Moines, Iowa-based Drake Bulldogs ended their 2022-23 season record at 27-7, but it didn’t come without some challenges. The Bulldogs ultimately lost the regular-season title to the Bradley Braves in Peoria last month, but Drake guard Conor Enright, a redshirt freshman from Mundelein in the Chicago suburbs, said it gave the Bulldogs an edge going into the conference tournament.

“It took a little bit of pressure off almost,” Enright said. “We had a long win streak. So, you lose that game [and] you get a fresh start. We knew we just had to win three games out here in St. Louis and we did it.”

The championship win does not come as a surprise to a majority of conference-watchers as Drake was a near-unanimous first preseason pick, taking the top spot on 54 of 56 of the voting member’s ballots. This marks the third consecutive year that Drake has made the tournament championship and will be the team’s sixth NCAA March Madness appearance in school history — most recently in 2021.

More than 6,700 spectators filled the Enterprise Center to watch the title match, which Enright said was a game-changer for him and his team. “I love all the Drake fans and I appreciate them coming down,” he said. “It feels like a home game when we’re scoring and they’re going — [the fans] are just so loud.”

The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks from Cape Girardeau will also go dancing after capturing the Ohio Valley Tournament championship title on Saturday against Tennessee Tech. The full 68-team tournament field, and where they’ll be playing, will be unveiled next Sunday, March 12 at 6 p.m. on CBS.

See photos from the Missouri Valley Conference “Arch Madness” championship below: