The Drake University men's basketball team plays its regular-season finale Saturday afternoon when it hosts Valparaiso at the Knapp Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on Mediacom MC22. Prior to the start of the game, the Bulldogs will honor the program's five tremendous seniors in Ore Arogundade (Chicago, Ill.), De'Antae McMurray (Alton, Ill.), C.J. Rivers (Cahokia, Ill.), Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) and Graham Woodward (Edina, Minn.) in their final game at the Knapp Center.

Those five have appeared in more than 500 games in the Blue & White and are in the midst of the program's most successful season in a decade as the team is 10-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference and 16-14 overall. The Bulldogs enter Saturday's game looking to solidify their seeding for the upcoming MVC Tournament as either the Nos. 3 or 4 seed.
 

Drake is 10-2 in the Knapp Center this season and aiming to earn a series split with Valparaiso. The Crusaders won the first meeting this season, 77-60, in early January on a night where Timmer, who has averaged 19.3 points per game this season, was held to a season-low seven points. Timmer has 13 20-point games this season including five of the last seven outings.

The Crusaders are 5-12 in their first season in the MVC and are seeking their first MVC road win. Tevonn Walker leads the team with 14.5 points per game and scored 26 points in his first meeting with the Bulldogs this season.

Following Saturday's games, all 10 MVC squads will trek to St. Louis for the annual MVC Tournament. As either the No. 3 or 4 seed, the Bulldogs will open tournament play Friday, March 2, at the Scottrade Center.