DRAKE MEN’S BASKETBALL DRAKE BULLDOGS MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMES 18-19 | AT VALPARAISO • The No. 25/25 Drake University men’s basket- SCHEDULE Feb. 6-7, 2021 • 1/1 p.m. ball team travels to Valparaiso this weekend in a Valparaiso, Ind • Athletics-Recreation Center homecoming for the five Bulldogs who hail from The November Region. 25 at Kansas State! W, 80-70 • The Bulldogs are ranked for the first time since 2008 27 vs. South Dakota! W, 69-53 COMPARISON and 33rd time in program history. • The Bulldogs are one of three unbeaten teams in Drake Team Valparaiso the nation and are tied for the second most wins in December Des Moines, Iowa Location Valparaiso, Ind. the country. 3 OMAHA W, 87-66 Bulldogs Nickname Crusaders • The Bulldogs’ 17-0 record is the best start in school Missouri Valley Conference Missouri Valley history and the second-longest win streak in program 6 ST. AMBROSE W, 97-53 17-0 Record 6-11 history. The team’s 8-0 start to the Valley season is 9 MCKENDREE W, 90-66 8-0 Conference Record 3-5 third time Drake has started 8-0 or better in league 13 AIR FORCE W, 81-53 25/25 Ranking --/-- play. W17 Streak L2 • Drake’s 17 straight wins equal the sixth-best start 18 at South Dakota W, 75-57 Darian DeVries Head Coach Matt Lottich ever by an MVC team. 20 CHICAGO ST. W, 111-67 61-24/3rd Record at School 79-71/8th • Drake has guaranteed its third-straight winning 22 NORTH DAKOTA W, 88-55 season, something that has only previously happened 61-24/3rd Career Record 79-71/8th 27 at Indiana State W, 81-63 82.9 Points/Game 66.9 five times in program history and once in the last 40 61.7 Opp. Points/Game 70.0 years. 28 at Indiana State W, 73-66 • Drake’s 35-point win over Illinois State was its big- 21.2 Scoring Margin -3.1 gest in the series and its fourth-biggest margin ever in 0.512 FG% 0.415 an MVC game. January 0.391 Opp. FG% 0.442 • Tremell Murphy scored 30 points in that win to 3 SIU* W, 73-55 0.390 3FG% 0.284 become the first Bulldog to score 30 points in a 4 SIU* W, 86-55 0.307 Opp. 3FG% 0.333 regulation-length game since 2018. 0.720 FT% 0.732 • Drake has won by double-figures in 13 of its 17 10 LOYOLA* PPD 38.2 Rebounds/Game 32.9 games and has outscored opponents by an average 11 LOYOLA* PPD 30.2 Opp. Rebounds/Game 37.9 of 21.2 points per game, the fourth-highest average in 17 at Missouri State* PPD 8.0 Rebounding Margin -5.0 the nation. 15.5 Assists/Game 13.0 • Drake’s defense has held all but three opponents 18 at Missouri State* PPD 11.4 Turnovers/Game 12.9 below 70 points this season and is 15th in the na- 21 at UNI* PPD -3.7 Turnover Margin 1.6 tional in scoring defense, allowing just 61.7 points per 26 at Missouri State* W, 68-61 8.4 Steals/Game 7.1 game this season. 27 at Missouri State* W, 78-73 2.8 Blocks/Game 3.6 OT ON THE AIR LAST THREE GAMES - LEADERS 31 ILLINOIS ST.* W , 78-76 Television ESPN3 / ESPN+ SCORING February Play-by-play Todd Ickow 1 ILLINOIS ST.* W, 95-60 Analyst Dave Huseman TREMELL MURPHY F • 6-6 • 210 • RSr. 6 at Valparaiso* 1 p.m. Radio ESPN 1350-AM / 102.1-FM 17.7 PPG 7 at Valparaiso* 1 p.m. Play-by-play Michael Admire 10 UNI* 6 p.m. Analyst Paul Doerrfeld Opponent FG-A 3FG-A FT-A Pts at MSU 3-7 1-3 3-3 10 13 LOYOLA* 5 p.m. Streaming Video ESPN.com/Watch Ill. State 6-13 0-5 1-2 13 14 LOYOLA* 5 p.m. COMMUNICATIONS CONTACTS Ill. State 10-15 6-10 4-5 30 17 at UNI* 7 p.m. Total 19-35 7-18 8-10 43/17.7 21 EVANSVILLE* 3 p.m. Drake Ty Patton Office 515-271-3014 REBOUNDING 22 EVANSVILLE* 6 p.m. Mobile 205-310-1271 26 at Bradley* 6 p.m. E-mail [email protected] DARNELL BRODIE 27 at Bradley* 7 p.m. Website www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com F • 6-10 • 275 • Jr. Twitter @DrakeBulldogsMB/@TyPatton_Drake 9.0 RPG March Valparaiso Brandon Vickrey Opponent O-Reb. D-Reb. Total 4-7 MVC Tournament Office Phone 219.464.5396 at MSU 3 11 14 E-mail [email protected] Website www.ValpoAthletics.com Ill. State 3 7 10 ! - Little Apple Classic Ill. State 0 3 3 * MVC Contest Total 6 21 27/9.0 All times central WWW.GODRAKEBULLDOGS.COM 1 TWITTER @DUBULLDOGS | @DRAKEBULLDOGSMB DRAKE MEN’S BASKETBALL QUICK FACTS University Location Des Moines, Iowa Founded 1881 Enrollment 5,015 Nickname Bulldogs Colors Blue & White Arena (Capacity): Knapp Center (7,152) Conference Missouri Valley Conference President Marty Martin DEVRIES ENTERS THIRD SEASON Director of Athletics Brian Hardin AFTER HISTORIC FIRST TWO Faculty Athletics Rep. Megan Brown Darian DeVries, the 2018-19 Missouri Valley DeVries was one of the longest-tenured men’s Coaching Staff Conference Coach of the Year, enters his third basketball assistant coaches at one school in Head Coach Darian DeVries season as the head coach of the Drake men’s the nation and assisted the Bluejays in their fifth Alma Mater UNI, 1998 basketball program. NCAA Tournament appearance in the last seven In his first two seasons, the Bulldogs have years before earning the Drake position. During Record at Drake 61-24 (3rd season) won 44 games to mark the fourth-most success- his time on the Creighton staff under both Dana Career Record 61-24 (3rd season) ful two-year period in program history. Altman and Greg McDermott, the program ac- Assistants Larry Blunt During his second season he guided the cumulated a record of 460-211 and 231-129 in Marty Richter Bulldogs to the program’s second-straight 20- conference games. win season which marked the first time since Under his guidance, Creighton had 15 first- Matt Gatens 1971 the program had won 20 or more games team all-conference selections, six conference Director of Operations Brady Ellingson in consecutive seasons and just the third time it Players of the Year, three Newcomers of the Graduate Manager Anthony Murphy had occurred in program history. Nearly a third of Year, three Freshmen of the Year and three the Bulldogs’ 20-win seasons have come under Defensive Players of the Year. CU has also had DeVries’ leadership. six All-American honorees in that time, including Team Information The 2019-20 season ended in the MVC Tour- Doug McDermott, the first player in 30 years to 2019-20 Record 20-14 nament semifinals for the second-straight sea- be named a First Team All-American by the AP in 2019-20 MVC Record/Finish 8-10/8th son as the Bulldogs clipped No. 1 seed UNI in three straight seasons. 2019-20 H/A/N Record 14-2 / 2-10 / 4-2 the quarterfinals to become the first No. 8 seed Before joining the staff at then Missouri Val- to upend a No. 1 seed in tournament history. ley Conference member Creighton in 1998, he Starters Returning/Lost 3/2 That team set a school record for blocks in already had an extensive background in the Val- Letterwinners Returning/Lost 7/4 a season with 132, surpassing the mark of 130 ley as a starter at UNI under coach Eldon Miller. Newcomers 5 set in his first season. Additionally, the 2019-20 DeVries ranks 31st all-time in career scoring at team’s 237 three-pointers were the eighth most UNI with 1,084 points and was twice an MVC in season. The team recorded 279 three-pointers Scholar-Athlete Team selection. The two-time Program History in his first season at the helm, the fourth-most in UNI captain led the Panthers in three-point All-Time Record 1,281-1,500 (.459) Drake history. shooting three years and converted on 44 per- MVC Record 597-874 (.403) The longtime assistant from Creighton took cent of his attempts as a senior with 3.1 assists MVC Tournament Record 20-41 (.333) the reins of the Bulldog program in March, 2018, per game. and inherited a roster with just one returning DeVries graduated from UNI in 1998 with MVC Titles 8 (4 Outright/4 Shared) starter and three returning contributors. He a B.A. in elementary education and a minor (1935, 39, 64, 69, 70, 71, 2008, 19) quickly assembled a talented roster and let that in physical education. He earned his master’s MVC Tournament Titles 1 squad to its first regular-season Missouri Valley degree in college counseling from Creighton in (2008) Conference title since 2008 and the program’s 2000. 12th all-time postseason appearance. DeVries was a standout athlete in high school NCAA Appearances 4 Under his guidance, the Bulldogs led the Val- at Aplington-Parkersburg (Iowa), and in the (1969, 1970, 1971, 2008) ley in scoring at 75.4 points per game to rack up spring of 2015 was inducted into the IHSAA Hall NCAA Record 5-4 (.555) 24 wins and record the program’s sixth 20-win of Fame for his playing prowess. The oldest of season and third most wins in school history.