The Drake University men's basketball starts the 2016 portion of its schedule with a two-game homestand beginning with Illinois State on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the contest being televised on Mediacom MC22 and The Valley on ESPN3. 

Sunday's Missouri Valley Conference home opener is also 'Youth Day' at the Knapp Center with youth ages 3-18 receiving a free ticket with a paying adult.

The Bulldogs return to their homecourt, where they are 3-2 this season, with a 5-8 overall record and an 0-1 mark in the MVC after Thursday's 67-47 loss at Wichita State. Illinois State is 7-7 this season after opening its MVC schedule with a 74-61 win over Missouri State.

The Redbirds are led by DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell's 15.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. ISU has held opponents to just 33.8 percent shooting from the three-point arc. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are eighth in the nation in three-point shooting at 42.8 percent. Under head coach Ray Giacoletti, the team has shot 45.5 percent in home MVC games.

Drake junior Kale Abrahamson has scored 42 points in the last two games on 13-of-24 shooting and 9-of-17 from the arc. Abrahamson is the reigning MVC Newcomer of the Week and also earned his second MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honor. 

Meanwhile, sophomore Reed Timmer is averaging 17.8 points per game this season, the 11th-most in the nation by a sophomore and most in the MVC.

Following Sunday's game, the Bulldogs remain at home to host Indiana State on Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.