"It's hard to really think about right now," said ISU senior Keyshawn Evans. "I'm still kind of just numb from the game."
Second-seeded and short-handed Drake bolted to a 20-point halftime lead over the No. 7 Redbirds in a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal game at Enterprise Center. ISU got within nine on three occasions in the second half before Drake pulled away for a 78-62 victory.
ISU hoped to be the first team to come from Thursday's play-in round to take the tourney title and an NCAA Tournament berth. Instead, the Redbirds were like all the other 21 first-round winners since 1998 who failed to even make it to the semifinals.