The Drake University men's basketball team faces its second tough road test of the season on Saturday when it meets Saint Mary's at the Gaels' McKeon Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. CST and will be aired in Des Moines on KRNT 1350-AM.
The Bulldogs travel to Northern California with a 2-0 record following a 61-59 win at UIC in the season opener and a 104-49 home win over Iowa Wesleyan on Tuesday evening.
“You have to be in one of those situations before you can learn how to win on the road,” Giacoletti said of the team already having a road win this season. “We were fortunate to get out of Chicago with a win, but those experiences help you as the season goes along.”
The task is even tougher with this test as the Gaels have been one of college basketball's best teams in recent history. The program is one of just four that have won 25 or more games in each of the last six season.
“The last eight years, they've played with an NBA point guard in either Patrick Mills or Matthew Dellavedova,” Giacoletti said. “They're easily one of the top five programs on the West Coast.”
The Gaels are even tougher at home in the intimate confines of McKeon Pavilion, having gone 94-9 at home in the last six seasons. Giacoletti, who was an assistant for six seasons at Gonzaga, is extremely familiar with the challenges the Gaels and their home court pose as Gongzaga and Saint Mary's have been the two powerhouse programs in the West Coast Conference for more than a decade.
“It's one of the smaller gyms in college basketball, but they pack it to the rafters,” Giacoletti said. “There's people with their knees in your back and yelling right into your ears but it is one of the great home courts but we're excited. We've got good mojo right now with two wins and it's a good time to take a step up on the road.”
Drake is led by Richard Carter (Detroit, Mich.) in scoring with 26 points per game, including a 38-point outburst at UIC to earn Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week honors. In the win against Iowa Wesleyan, it was a pair of freshmen in Blake Danielak (Georgetown, Texas) and Jacob Enevold Jensen (Lunderskov, Denmark) that stepped up the lead the Bulldogs with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
Saint Mary's, which will be playing its third game in six days, is 3-0 on the season and defeated Akron and North Dakota State earlier this week. Talented forward Brad Waldow leads the team with 20.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while Stephen Holt tries to continue the program's tradition of stellar point guard play. In three games he has averaged 13.0 points and 6.3 assists per outing.
“Stephen Holt is a right-handed driver, so we're going to have to do a great job of getting him squared up and keep him from driving,” Giacoletti said. “Everything they do is two or three ball screens in a possession, so your ball-screen defense has to be very good and you have to know who the drivers and shooters are.”
Following Saturday's game, the team will have a week off before hosting Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1:05 p.m. The game will be part of a special day for Drake basketball with the official groundbreaking for the Bulldogs' practice facility taking place earlier in the afternoon at 11 a.m.
