The last time Drake was ranked was March 16, 1971. On December 24, 2007, Drake received 3 points in the AP Top 25 poll. That had them ranked T-40th. On December 30, 2007, Drake's RPI rating was 19th in the nation. On December 31, 2007, Drake received 8 points in the AP Top 25 poll. That had them ranked T-35th. On January 2, 2007, Drake won its first game against Southern Illinois since February 17, 1999. Their 11–1 record tied the best start in school history set by the 1969–70 team. It was the first 2–0 start by the Bulldogs in the MVC since the 1995–96 season. With the Bulldogs' 71–68 win over Evansville on January 6, 2008, they set a new Drake record for the best start in school history with a 12–1 mark. They were 3–0 in the MVC for the first time since the 1982–83 season. On January 7, 2008, Drake received its first vote of the year in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll. They also received a season-high 22 points in the AP Top 25 poll with a ranking of T-31. With Drake's victory over Indiana State on January 9, 2008, Drake started 4–0 in the MVC for the first time since 1970. On January 10, 2008, Drake's RPI rating was 15th in the nation. On January 12, 2008, Drake won their first game against Missouri State after losing the last 10 games. They also set a school record with a 14–1 mark for the best start in school history. As of before the day's game, Drake's RPI was 11th in the nation. On January 14, 2008, Drake received 17 points in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked 30th. They also were ranked 26th in the AP Top 25 poll with 75 points. On January 19, 2008, Drake improved their record to 16–1 with a victory over Illinois State in what was the first meeting between two teams with 6–0 conference records in Missouri Valley Conference play. On January 21, 2008, Drake received 92 points in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked 23rd. They also were ranked 22nd in the AP Top 25 poll with 313 points. It was the first time Drake had been ranked since they were ranked 16th in the AP Top 20 poll in March 1975. On January 25, 2008,