DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's basketball team will face Iona in its first game at the 2016 GCI Great Alaska Shootout as the eight-field team for the tournament was announced Friday, June 24. It will be the Bulldogs' second appearance at the GCI Great Alaska Shootout. The team finished fifth in the 2010 tournament.
 
The 39th edition of the GCI Great Alaska Shootout, the oldest continuously running in-season college basketball tournament, will also feature UC Davis, Weber State, Buffalo, Oakland, Nevada and the hosts, Alaska Anchorage. The Bulldogs and Gaels are set to tip off on Thursday, Nov. 24, on CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network will bring the Shootout to a national audience for the fifth straight year, with seven televised men's games on the slate.
 
The Bulldogs will face either UC Davis or Weber State in their second game at the shootout.
 
The field presents many challenges for the Bulldogs, beginning with their opening game against Iona. The Gaels posted a 22-11 record last season and claimed the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament title to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in program history. Jordan Washington is the team's top returning scorer. The senior averaged 14.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game to earn third-team all-conference honors. The GCI Great Alaska Shootout appearance is the fourth for the program, but the first since 1988.
 
The Bulldogs' potential second opponent, Weber State, is also coming off an NCAA appearance after going 26-9 last season to win the Big Sky Conference. Head coach Randy Rahe has won 208 games in 10 seasons at the helm after being an assistant under Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti at Utah. The Bulldogs and Wildcats met last season in the Gulf Coast Showcase with WSU prevailing, 74-58.
 
The other potential second-round opponent, UC Davis, is coming off an 11-19 season, but won the Big West regular-season title in 2014-15 to earn a spot in the NIT field.
 
The other side of the GCI Great Alaska Shootout bracket includes the two-time Mid-American Conference tournament champion in Buffalo, and the nation's top scoring team last season in Oakland at 86.4 points per game. The third team on that side of the bracket, Nevada, is another familiar face for the Bulldogs. Last season, the Wolf Pack defeated the Bulldogs in Reno, Nev., 79-71. The host, Alaska Anchorage, is a Division II program that competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Seawolves return the conference's leading scorer in All-America Sekou Wiggs who averaged 24.1 points per game.
 
Tipoff times for the event will be announced at a later date.