Drake will be without second lead scorer Ben Simons on Wednesday night when the Bulldogs visit Illinois State on Wednesday night. The junior forward missed Saturday’s loss to Missouri State after being diagnosed with mononucleosis.
Drake coach Mark Phelps says they are concerned about the size of Simon’s spleen and he is being checked regularly. Phelps says it’s a problem that has different affects on different guys. He expects the Bulldogs to play better without Simons now that they have had a few days to adjust.
He says they did not play well on either end of the court against Missouri State and he says they’ve had some time to adjust to Simons not being there. His absence is a tough blow to the Bulldogs who stand 6-7 in the Valley and 13-11 overall.
“I think people notice mostly his scoring, but he has a really high basketball I-Q, he plays really well with his teammates, he’s an underrated defender,” Phelps says.
Drake beat Illinois State in the first matchup in Des Moines. The Redbirds are 7-6 in the league race.