DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake men's basketball teams continues its six-game stay in Des Moines on Saturday, Dec. 17, when it faces Iowa State in the Hy-Vee Classic at Wells Fargo Arena. Tipoff for the 174th meeting between the Cyclones and Bulldogs is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the contest broadcast on Mediacom MC22 and on radio via ESPN Des Moines 1350.

Saturday's game will also be the second under head coach Jeff Rutter. Rutter, who has seven years of head coaching experience, took the reins of the program on Dec. 6 following Ray Giacoletti's resignation. Prior to joining the staff at Drake in 2013, Rutter was an assistant at Iowa State for seven years.

The Bulldogs' enter Saturday's contest with a 1-8 record, but those eight losses have come by a total of 42 points. Two of the team's last three losses have been by just two points.

Sophomore Billy Wampler (Eau Claire, Wis.) tried to end the recent drought by scoring in double-figures in four-straight games including a career-high 20 points in his last outing against Jackson State. Prior to that, he had a then career-high 17 points at DePaul followed by 16 points against Fresno State.

Additionally, junior Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) has been Drake's top scorer in six of nine games this season and is averaging 15.7 points per game after posting 16.8 points per game as a sophomore in 2015-16. He has scored 69 points in the last four games including a season-high 24 points in the loss at Alaska Anchorage. He also recently recorded his 1,000th career point in the loss to Jackson State. He is one of two active MVC players to have recorded 1,000 career points and is the 24th Bulldog to do so. He currently has 1,016 career points to rank 22nd all-time at Drake.

The pair will aim to snap the Bulldogs' two-game losing streak to their in-state foes. Iowa State leads the all-time series by a 108-65 margin and has won each of the last two meetings in Wells Fargo Arena.