Game 12 • vs. Simpson College • #DUvsSC
Dec. 22, 2014 • 7:05 p.m. CST
Des Moines, Iowa • Knapp Center

TV: None
Radio: 1350-AM KRNT
Web: GoDrakeBulldogs.com

The Game ...
• The Drake University men's basketball team plays its third of four-straight games in Des Moines on Monday with a 7:05 p.m. contest against nearby Simpson College.
• Monday's game will be the Bulldogs' final game before the Christmas holiday and the final non-conference game of the 2014-15 season.
• Despite being separated by approximately 20 miles, the two programs meet for the first time in 11 years and just the third time since 1946. Drake leads the all-time series by a 24-13 margin.
• Drake returns to its home court with a 2-9 record following an 83-54 loss to No. 13 in Saturday's Big Four Classic.
• Simpson ventures to the Knapp Center on a two-game win streak to improve to 5-5 this season under fifth-year head coach Charles Zanders.
•Drake has faced an incredibly challenging schedule to date as the Bulldogs' foes own a combined 71-46 (.607) record. Drake's nine losses have come to opponents with a combined record of 66-28 (.702)
• Additionally two of Drake's opponents (Green Bay and Valparaiso) are ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll with four others (Western Michigan, Bowling Green, Portland and Murray State) receiving votes.
• Drake is one of the most accurate shooting teams in the nation as the team ranks 52nd in three-point percentage (.385), 77th in field goal percentage (.465) and sixth in free-throw percentage (.767).
• Drake has shot 50 percent or better from the field in three of the last six games and in five total games this season.
• Drake's freshmen have accounted for 36.6 percent of the team's scoring and 49.2 percent of assists.

A Win  Would ...
• Make Drake 3-9 this season.
• Be Drake's second win in its last three games.
• Make Drake 25-13 all-time against Simpson.
• Be head coach Ray Giacoletti's 189th career win.
• Be the 1,182nd win in program history.

A Loss Would ...
• Make Drake 2-10 this season.
• Be the team's second-straight loss.
• Be Drake's first loss to Simpson since the 1945-46 season.

A Dane In December
• Center Jacob Enevold has had a productive December to date and led Drake in scoring and rebounding in each of the last two games.
• During the current month, he is averaging 11.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 60 percent from the field.
• His increased activity has also led to him getting to the free-throw line with an average of 5.3 free throws per game.
• Against Iowa State he recorded a career-high four steals.

Freshmen Coming Along
• A pair of Drake freshmen, C.J. Rivers and Ore Arogundade have seen similar increases in production in the month of December as well.
• The pair is averaging 10.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game in the month of December.

Hot Shooting
• Making shots has not been an issue for the Bulldogs as the team is converting on 46.5 percent of their shots this season, the 77th best percentage in the nation.
• The Bulldogs have shot 50 percent or better in five of their last nine games.

Turnovers Hampering Offense
• Despite the proficient shooting, Drake has struggled to get shots off due to the offense turning the ball over on 23.3 percent of its possessions this season.
• Drake ranks 333rd out of 351 Division I programs in turnover rate.
• Cal Poly leads the nation at 12.2 percent.
• If Drake committed turnovers at the national average of 18.1 percent and scored at their current rate, it would yield an additional 7.8 points per game.

Tough Schedule
• Drake's opponents have proven to be worthy competition this season as the Bulldogs' 10 opponents to date boast a 71-46 (.607) combined record.
• The nine opponents that have defeated Drake are currently 66-28 (.702)
• Drake's strength of schedule, which only factors in games against Division I opponents, ranks 166th in the nation.

Point Guards in Music City
• Drake's freshman-senior point guard tandem of Reed Timmer and Karl Madison took care of the ball in Nashville to the tune of a 21-to-11 assist-to-turnover ratio in three games.

Perfect Center Play
• In the win over IUPUI, Drake had near perfect play from its centers as Jacob Enevold and Kory Kuenstling combined to go 9-of-9 from the field for 19 points with 12 rebounds.
• Enevold recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
• He nearly repeated that feat by going 4-of-4 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line to match a career high with 17 points against Jackson State. He also hauled in a team-high eight rebounds and two blocks in that win.

With Ricks ...
• Gary Ricks, Jr.'s return to the lineup yielded the Bulldogs' first win of the season as he poured in nine points with a team-high five assists.
• He then added a season-high 23 points against Portland.
• Ricks outside of the stats, Ricks' veteran presence is noted as the Bulldogs are 8-8 over the last two years with Ricks in the lineup and 9-17 without the senior guard.

Bulldogs Move Into Shivers Basketball Practice Facility
• On Nov. 14, the Bulldogs officially dedicated their new $8 million state-of-the-art home, the Shiver Basketball Practice Facility.
• The 44,000 square foot structure, connected to the east side of the Knapp Center, provides dedicated practice space for both the men's and women's teams.
• In addition to a pair of practice courts, the facility features new locker rooms, team lounges and film room.
• The upper level of the structure includes the Courtside Club for gameday hospitality and campus events.

Get to 70
• Drake scored 70 or more points in its last three wins of 2013-14 and the team was 12-1 when scoring 70 or more points last season and is 2-1 in 2014-15
• Conversely, the squad is just 3-15 when allowing 70 or more points during the last two seasons.

Rebounding Key to Wins
• One of Drake's program goals under Giacoletti is to win the battle of the glass.
• In the program's first seven games of 2013-14 the team did that to the tune of a 6-1 record.
• Last season, Drake outrebounded its opponent in all 15 of its wins.
• However the team was outrebounded in 15 of its 16 losses.
• The 2014-15 season opener against Bowling Green marked one of the few instances in which the Bulldogs have held a rebounding advantage (33-31) and lost. The Bulldogs repeated that feat at Western Michigan with a 21-19 advantage on the glass and with a six-rebound advantage against North Dakota (27-21).
• Drake has outrebounded its opponent in five of 11 games this season and is 1-4 when doing so.