Freshman guard Courtney Smith knows all about the competitive atmosphere of the postseason.

She knows that one bad night can mean the end. After all, just last year it was Smith leading Carlyle High School to a victory in the Illinois Class A state championship game.

But with the eighth-seeded Salukis preparing for the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, Smith does not have to worry about carrying the load.

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My role has changed. Last year, my role was to be the scorer on the team and to take over, Smith said. This year, it’s not my role because we have Theia [Hudson] inside.

SIUC (10-17, 7-11) must contend with Drake University, the league’s best team, tonight in the opening round at Springfield, Mo. The Bulldogs (22-4, 17-1) ran through conference play this season, with their only loss being a Feb. 5 setback to Southwest Missouri State University 72-64.

The main reason for the domination has been Drake’s uptempo offense. The team ranks first in the Valley in scoring, averaging more than 80 points per game. Senior guard Kiersten Miller (18.7 ppg) is the Bulldogs’ top scoring threat.

On the inside, 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Haley Sames and center Tammi Blackstone provide formidable forces in the paint.

SIUC coach Cindy Scott knows her team does not possess the offensive firepower of Drake and will have to slow the pace down.

We’ve got to keep the game in the 60s and try to contain them defensively. We really don’t want to get into a run-and-gun affair with them, Scott said.

But the biggest key to tonight’s game for the Salukis will be controlling senior point guard Keisha Cox on both sides of the ball. To complement her league-high 6.9 assist per game, Cox is also second in the conference with three steals per contest.

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The duty of slowing Cox down has been left to freshman guard Terica Hathaway and junior guard O’Desha Proctor.

She’s killed us in the past, Scott said. It’ll either be Terica or O’Desha who has to guard her. It’s very important that they can keep her contained.

Drake is riding a seven-game winning streak and has taken five straight decisions over the Salukis, including a 77-48 win in 1997 MVC Tournament. The Bulldogs won both regular season meetings this year handily.

I don’t want to call it revenge, I just think it’s our time to have their number, associate coach Julie Beck said. They’ve really had ours for the last couple years. They’ve done a really good job of keeping us to a minimal offensive output.

The winner will meet either Indiana State University or Illinois State University in the semifinals Friday.

Senior point guard Beth Hasheider knows the odds are not in the favor of the Salukis. SIUC has shown signs of being a dangerous team at certain points in the season, but at other times have looked like an eighth-seeded team.

We played with them in the first half up there and fell apart in the second half, Hasheider said. If we contain their big kids inside, we can definitely compete with them.

The Salukis play Drake University at 6 tonight in the first round of the MVC Tournament in Springfield, Mo.