"Unbelievable climax": Drake shattering Indiana State to clinch MVC championship title ahead of 2024 March Madness surprises basketball fans

Second-seeded Drake Bulldogs defeated Indiana State 84-80 on Sunday to take home its second straight and third overall Missouri Valley Conference tournament title. With this win, the Bulldogs will make their seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The win did not come easy for Drake as it blew away an 18-point lead in the last 10 minutes. The Bulldogs made a stellar work in the last three minutes to post this win. Excited fans took to Twitter to post their congratulations.

Fans also congratulated sophomore Tucker DeVries, whose 27 points helped seal the deal.

However, some fans of the Sycamores were left wounded as they pointed fingers at the poor officiating that cost their team the win.

Meanwhile, some fans hoped that the Selection Committee would notice Indiana State's incredible run this season and give them a seat in March Madness.

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Drake posts an excellent comeback to take home a crucial win

The first tie came four minutes into the contest at 6-6, after which Drake took the definitive lead posting baskets and widening the gap. It wrapped up halftime with a 45-32.

In the second half, Indiana State tried to catch up to the Bulldogs, and the game was tied for the second time at 72 and again at 76 points. However, Conor Enright's 3-point jumper pushed the lead in Drake's favor. Darnell Brodie added four more and DeVries' free throw brought the score to 84.

Until the very last second, the Sycamores tried their best as Julian Larry's jumper at 0:01 closed the score at 80 for Indiana State. Drake head coach Darian DeVries applauded his opponent's fighting spirit later in a talk with the media.

"Credit Indiana State for never quitting, continuing to fight," the coach said via ESPN.

"I thought our guys showed incredible resolve there when all the momentum was gone ... just make the plays we needed to do. I'm incredibly proud of them," DeVries added.

Two-time MVC Player of the Year, Tucker DeVries was also proud of the work put in by his team as he said:

"There's been a lot of hard times throughout this year but the resilience of this group, it's been a lot of fun. There's no better way to do it than with 10 new guys. You look back to June, we had a long ways to go. To get to this point is really special."

As per ESPN's latest bracketology, Drake is a projected No.10 seed.