DRAKE MEN’S BASKETBALL DRAKE BULLDOGS MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME 27 | VS. EVANSVILLE | FEB. 16, 2020 • The Drake University men’s basketball team returns SCHEDULE Feb. 16, 2020 • 3 p.m. home, where it has won 16 of its last 17 games, to November Des Moines, Iowa • Knapp Center host Evansville Sunday. • The Bulldogs have dropped two-straight games for 2 UPPER IA. (EX) W, 95-88 7 KENNESAW ST. W, 86-55 just the second time in the last two seasons. COMPARISON • Earlier this season, Drake earned a 23-point road 11 at Cincinnati L, 81-59 win at Evansville, its biggest road win against a Valley 13 KANSAS CITY W, 76-58 Drake Team Evansville team in a decade. Des Moines, Iowa Location Evansville, Ind. 17 SIMPSON W, 98-53 • In Drake’s last three losses, its opponents have shot 21 LEHIGH W, 74-58 Bulldogs Nickname Purple Aces 38-of-64 (.594) from three-point range. Missouri Valley Conference Missouri Valley 25 vs. Miami Univ.! L, 67-59 • However, at the Knapp Center, opponents are 26 vs. Northeastern! W, 59-56 16-10 Record 9-17 shooting 35.7 percent from the three-point arc. 6-7 Conference Record 0-13 • Drake currently leads the Valley in 2-point shoot- 27 vs. Murray State! W, 63-53 Ranking ing percentage in league games this season at 54.4 L2 Streak L13 percent. December Darian DeVries Head Coach Todd Lickliter • Drake leads the league and ranks 26th nationally in 3 MILWAUKEE W, 56-53 40-20/2nd Record at School 0-7/1st assists per game. In league games, Drake averages 7 SEMO W, 78-73 40-20/2nd Career Record 218-162/13th 16.2 assists per game, nearly three more than any 14 at No. 14/12 Dayton L, 78-47 70.1 Points/Game 68.3 other team in the league. 17 MOUNT MARTY W, 92-74 67.7 Opp. Points/Game 74.5 • D.J. Wilkins is coming off two of his best games in 21 at Air Force W, 85-80 2.4 Scoring Margin -6.2 league play with 28 points in the last two games. 31 at Bradley* L, 80-72 0.462 FG% 0.426 • Sophomore Liam Robbins has scored in double 0.420 Opp. FG% 0.461 figures in 15 of the last 18 games including a career- 0.347 3FG% 0.317 high 29 points against Bradley last week. January 0.368 Opp. 3FG% 0.367 • Robbins recently became the school record holder 4 INDIANA STATE* W, 80-76 0.706 FT% 0.720 for blocks in a season and now has 73 blocks. He 7 LOYOLA* W, 65-62 33.6 Rebounds/Game 32.5 ranks 10th nationally in blocks per game with 2.8 per 11 at Valparaiso* L, 66-61 game. 31.9 Opp. Rebounds/Game 36.7 16 ILLINOIS STATE* W, 84-74 • Roman Penn ranks 29th nationally in assists with 1.7 Rebounding Margin -4.2 19 at SIU* L, 66-49 5.8 per game this season. He has had six or more 15.6 Assists/Game 12.2 assists in 16 games has a 37-to-10 assist-to-turnover 22 at Evansville* W, 73-50 12.8 Turnovers/Game 13.1 ratio in the last eight games. 26 MO. STATE* W, 71-69 0.2 Turnover Margin -1.3 29 at Indiana State* L, 58-56 5.7 Steals/Game 4.7 LAST THREE GAMES - LEADERS 3.6 Blocks/Game 2.5 February ON THE AIR SCORING 1 SIU* L, 79-72 5 BRADLEY* W, 73-60 Television ESPN3 LIAM ROBBINS 8 at UNI* L, 83-73 Play-by-play Brad Wells Analyst Adam Emmenecker F • 7-0 • 235 • So. 12 at Missouri State* L, 97-62 17.7 RPG 16 EVANSVILLE* 3 P.M. 19 VALPARAISO* 7 P.M. Radio ESPN 1350-AM Opponent FG-A 3FG-A FT-A Pts Play-by-play Michael Admire 22 at Illinois State* 3:30 p.m. Analyst Paul Doerrfeld Bradley 9-12 1-1 10-11 29 25 at Loyola* 7 p.m. at UNI 8-16 0-2 1-2 17 29 UNI* TBA Streaming Video ESPN3 at Mo. State 3-9 0-0 1-3 7 COMMUNICATIONS CONTACTS Total 20-37 1-3 12-16 53/17.7 March 5-8 MVC Championship Drake Ty Patton REBOUNDING Office 515-271-3014 Mobile 205-310-1271 LIAM ROBBINS ! - Gulf Coast Showcase * MVC Contest E-mail [email protected] F • 7-0 • 235 • So. Website www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com All times central Twitter @DrakeBulldogsMB/@TyPatton_Drake 6.0 RPG Opponent O-Reb. D-Reb. Total Evansville Bob Pristash Bradley 5 2 7 Office 812-488-2285 at UNI 3 3 6 Mobile 812-266-5288 E-Mail [email protected] at Mo. State 2 3 5 Website www.GoPurpleAces.com Total 10 8 18/6.0 Twitter @ueathletics 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 Director of Athletics Brian Hardin Faculty Athletics Rep. Megan Brown Coaching Staff Head Coach Darian DeVries MVC COACH OF THE YEAR Alma Mater UNI, 1998 Record at Drake 40-20 (2nd season) RETURNS FOR SECOND SEASON Career Record 40-20 (2nd season) Assistants Matt Woodley Darian DeVries, the 2018-19 Missouri Valley three straight seasons. Larry Blunt Conference Coach of the Year, is in his second At Creighton, DeVries worked closely with the season as the head coach of the Drake men’s Bluejay backcourt and did much of the scouting Marty Richter basketball program. of the opposition. DeVries also played a signifi- Director of Operations Matt Gatens The longtime assistant from Creighton took cant role in the recruitment of future standouts, Graduate Managers Nick Norton the reins of the Bulldog program in March, 2018, including five-star center Justin Patton in 2015, Brady Ellingson and inherited a roster with just one returning who redshirted before turning into the No. 16 starter and three returning contributors. He overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Chi- quickly assembled a talented roster and let that cago Bulls. Team Information squad to its first regular-season Missouri Valley In 2011-12, the Bluejays tied a school record 2018-19 Record 24-10 Conference title since 2008 and the program’s with 29 wins and followed that with 28 and 27 2018-19 MVC Record/Finish 12-6/T-1st 12th all-time postseason appearance. wins in the successive seasons as part of a span 2018-19 H/A/N Record 13-2/7-6/4-2 Under his guidance, the Bulldogs led the Val- of 18 20-win seasons in his 20 years in Omaha. ley in scoring at 75.4 points per game to rack up Before joining the staff at then Missouri Val- Starters Returning/Lost 3/2 24 wins and record the program’s sixth 20-win ley Conference member Creighton in 1998, he Letterwinners Returning/Lost 7/3 season and third-most wins in school history. already had an extensive background in the Val- Newcomers 8 DeVries’ first recruiting class at Drake included ley as a starter at UNI under coach Eldon Miller. a junior college All-American, graduate transfers DeVries ranks 31st all-time in career scoring at with all-conference pedigrees, a 7-footer and in- UNI with 1,084 points and was twice an MVC Program History ternational talent. That roster eventually earned Scholar-Athlete Team selection. The two-time All-Time Record 1,179-1,497 (.459) eight All-MVC honors, including MVC Defensive UNI captain led the Panthers in three-point MVC Record 586-872 (.403) Player of the Year Nick McGlynn. shooting three years and converted on 44 per- MVC Tournament Record 18-40 (.327) His first team began the season by winning cent of his attempts as a senior with 3.1 assists the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic to con- per game. MVC Titles 8 (4 Outright/4 Shared) clude the non-conference schedule with a 12-4 DeVries graduated from UNI in 1998 with (1935, 39, 64, 69, 70, 71, 2008, 19) record before amassing a 12-6 mark in confer- a B.A. in elementary education and a minor MVC Tournament Titles 1 ence action. in physical education. He earned his master’s (2008) Before taking over the Bulldogs’ program, degree in college counseling from Creighton in DeVries was an assistant coach at Creighton 2000. NCAA Appearances 4 University for 17 years and spent 20 total sea- DeVries was a standout athlete in high school (1969, 1970, 1971, 2008) sons on staff with the Bluejays. During that span, at Aplington-Parkersburg (Iowa), and in the NCAA Record 5-4 (.555) he helped guide the Bluejays to 19 postseason spring of 2015 was inducted into the IHSAA Hall NIT Appearances 3 appearances and 12 NCAA Tournament berths. of Fame for his playing prowess. The oldest of (1964, 1981, 1986) DeVries, 44, was one of the longest-tenured five siblings, DeVries’ family boasts a tremen- men’s basketball assistant coaches at one dous academic pedigree with all five competing NIT Record 1-3 (.250) school in the nation and assisted the Bluejays collegiately. His brother, Jared, was an All- in their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in American on the football team at the University Media Relations the last seven years before earning the Drake of Iowa and was a 12-year member of the Detroit Basketball Contact Ty Patton position.