Northern Iowa catches a break that Drake is minus leading scorer ShanQuan Hemphill and its No. 3 scorer and top assists man, Roman Penn. Both are injured. The Panthers have been playing strong defense holding their past five foes to an average of 64.6 points in regulation. 
Drake ranks 37th in the nation defensively holding foes to 64.1 points. Northern Iowa ranks 220th in scoring averaging fewer than 70 points a game. 
Both teams won't be helped scoring-wise by the venue, Enterprise Center in St. Louis, which has one of the toughest shooting backdrops in the country.