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Des Moines, IA (SportsNetwork.com) - The weakest team in the Missouri Valley Conference plays host to one of the strongest, as the Drake Bulldogs welcome 16th-ranked Wichita State to town on New Years Eve. Among the programs in the MVC, Drake has the fewest victories with just three, with one of those coming against an opponent outside of the Division I ranks in Simpson College (84-62) the last time out. The victory was the second in the last three outings for a Bulldogs squad that is playing the last of four straight games in the city of Des Moines and is set to take on league foes Missouri State and Illinois State on the road over the next week. Wichita State, which went undefeated all of last season before bowing to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament, was considered one of the top squads outside of the power conferences heading into the 2014-15 campaign, but already the team has suffered a couple of defeats. The loss at nationally-ranked Utah by a single point in overtime (69-68) is certainly understandable, but then the Shockers had a six-game win streak snapped by George Washington, 60-54, in the title game of the Diamond Head Classic last week. As far as the all-time series is concerned, the Shockers have won five straight over Drake and now own a 97-47 advantage as they enter the 145th meeting. Wichita State is set to host the Bulldogs a little more than three weeks from now. A long, long way from home, the Shockers were taken out by the George Washington Colonials on Christmas by six points in a hotly-contested meeting at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. Wichita State didnt have a single player make more than just four field goals and only Fred VanVleet scored in double figures for the squad as he tallied 11 on 4-of-15 from the floor. The team as a whole was just 34.4 percent accurate from the field and visited the free-throw line just twice as Zach Brown converted one of his two chances. The effort by the Shockers from the floor versus George Washington was the weakest of the season and marked the second straight outing in which the program was held below 40 percent accuracy. Conversely, the Colonials made good on 51.1 percent from the floor which was the best effort by any WSU opponent through 12 games. VanVleet is one of three players scoring in double figures with his 11.7 ppg, supplemented by his team-best 64 assists and 26 steals, not to mention 4,3 rpg which is also one of the top efforts for the program. Ahead of him in the scoring department are Ron Baker and Darius Carter with 16.6 and 11.9 ppg, respectively, the former shooting 32-of-80 out on the perimeter and the latter pulling down a team-best 6.3 rpg. Knotted at 17-17 with 11 minutes to play in the first half, the Bulldogs rolled out a 29-9 scoring burst in order to take control against Simpson and eventually cruise to the home victory. Drake made good on an impressive 63.8 percent from the field, while limiting the visitors to only 39.6 percent accuracy and also topped Simpson on the glass, 32-18. Jordan Daniels led the attack with 24 points, Reed Timmer produced 19, Jacob Enevold 14 points and Gary Ricks 10 to go along with six rebounds and five assists. The Bulldogs are a team that is scoring only 63.0 ppg, while giving up 70.9 ppg, so it is clear why wins are still hard to come by. Ricks, who has been in the lineup for nine of 12 games, is listed as the top scoring threat with his 11.2 ppg, although Timmer is right there with him at 11.2 ppg, although the former is far more accomplished behind the 3-point line (.405) and is pulling down close to four rebounds per contest as well. Enevold, who has five times as many turnovers (30) as assists (six), is responsible for a team-best 6.0 rpg. Air Force 1 Canada Sale .com) - The Vancouver Canucks hope an upcoming stretch of home games will be enough to get the club into the postseason. Cheap Air Force 1 Shoes Wholesale . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. http://www.cheapairforce1canada.com/ . -- With his team down 16 points in the second quarter and headed for another blowout loss at home, Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson yelled out to his players to keep shooting and keep fighting on defence. Nike Air Force 1 Clearance . The mood in Seattle was electrified as the parade featuring the NFL champions began near the Space Needle and made its way to CenturyLink Field, the home of the team. At a ceremony inside the stadium, the team thanked its loyal followers -- the 12th Man -- capping a day of boisterous celebration that drew an estimated 700,000 revelers to Seattle. Cheap Air Force 1 Canada . The Irish golfer, whose father Patrick died from cancer, says he underwent surgery for sun spots. The 42-year-old Harrington told Irish radio station Today FM: "Ive had a number of skin cancers removed off my face.While the Dallas Stars are still young, their expectations have clearly changed.This group is no longer just hoping to get to the playoffs.Weve been together for a year now. The new players have fit in well, said Jamie Benn, their 25-year-old captain. Weve got a little bit more confidence as a group just making the playoffs, and I think we can bring that into this year.Not only did the Stars end the longest post-season drought in franchise history last season, they came oh so close to taking top-seeded Anaheim to Game 7 in the opening round. The Ducks had to score twice in the final 2:10 of regulation in Game 6 to force overtime, and won on the only shot there.We had a great year last year, and this year I think our expectations are a lot higher, said Tyler Seguin, the 22-year-old centre.General manager Jim Nill, a longtime assistant GM with Detroit, was hired in April 2013 after the Stars missed the playoffs for the fifth season in a row. He hired veteran coach Lindy Ruff, who had eight playoff appearances in his 15 seasons with Buffalo.Nills biggest initial deal was a seven-player trade with Boston to get former second overall pick Seguin, who in his debut Dallas season was the leading scorer with 84 points (37 goals, 47 assists). This off-season, Nill added 31-year-old former Ottawa teammates Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky.Last year, Jamie Benn moving back to the wing, Seguin coming in, how were they going to mesh together? And weve seen that theyre as dynamic a duo as there is, Nill said. A lot of questions have been answered. ... Weve got the excitement of adding Spezza, Hemsky and these guys. Its an exciting time, good for our team.Spezza (23 goals, 43 assists) is a centre acquired in a trade before free-agent right wing Hemsky (13 goals, 30 assists combined with Edmonton and Ottawa) signed a three-year contract. The two will likely be paired together, providing another scoring line behind the front line led by Seguin and Bennn (34 goals, 45 assists).ddddddddddddHere are some things to know about the 2014-15 Dallas Stars, who open the season at home Oct. 9 against Western Conference finalist Chicago:POTENT POWER PLAY: During the preseason, Ruff had a primary power-play unit that included Seguin and Benn, his top two scorers from last season, and newcomers Spezza and Hemsky. We were finding each other, Seguin said. It will be great to see what we can do once we learn each other a lot. Ruff said he expects those guys to read off each other, rather than having a specific plan where, Youve got to be here, and youve got to be there.BACKUP GOALIE: The Stars went into training camp with several options to be goalie Kari Lehtonens backup. They used four different players in that role last season. Anders Lindback, who started 67 games over the past four seasons with Nashville and Tampa Bay, exited training camp as the second goalie on the roster.WORKING CLASS: Benn said the team has developed an identity as a hard-working team. Weve got to be the hardest-working team out there, the captain said. Our skills going to help us out, but if we dont work hard, were not going to win many games.STILL UNSIGNED: When the Stars opened training camp in mid-September, unsigned restricted free agents Cody Eakin and Brenden Dillon were working out at home in Canada. Eakin, a centre, signed a two-year deal and joined the team this week. Defenceman Dillon remained unsigned and it was uncertain if his contract would be resolved before the season.PEVERLEYS PROGRESS: Nearly seven months after collapsing on the bench during a game because of an irregular heartbeat, forward Rich Peverley is doing off-ice workouts. But he still hasnt been cleared by doctors to get practice or play, and there is no specific timetable for when that could happen. He had surgery in mid-March to correct an abnormal heart rhythm, an issue that was diagnosed during training camp last year. ' ' '