THE BASICS
The Drake men's basketball team returns to the Knapp Center for its first home game since Dec. 28 when Illinois State visits on Wednesday (Jan. 12) at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs overcame a 10-point first half deficit to defeat the Purple Aces, 60-59 at the Ford Center. Drake's defense held strong as Evansville had multiple looks during the final moments of regulation.
Tucker DeVries led the Bulldogs in scoring last Saturday with 15 points marking his 13th double-figure scoring game of the season.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
The Redbirds are 8-7 overall having last played on Jan. 2 at Valparaiso, falling to the Beacons by a final score of 81-76 in overtime.
After the Valpo loss, Illinois State is off to a 1-1 start in MVC play, having defeated Missouri State in overtime by a final score of 79-74 back on Dec. 1 at Redbird Arena.
Through 15 games, junior guard Antonio Reeves is averaging a team-best 21.1 points per game and is shooting from beyond the arc at a 43.9% clip. UMASS transfer Sy Chatman is the current leading rebounder (6.5 per game) for the Redbirds and averages 15.5 points per game.
Illinois State associate head coach Brian Jones played at UNI from 1990-94 and was an assistant coach at Iowa from 1999-2006.
ILLINOIS STATE SERIES NOTES
This will be the 97th meeting between Drake and Illinois State in men's basketball. The Redbirds lead the all-time series, 61-35.
Drake went 2-0 against Illinois State during the 2020-21 season and currently owns a 3-game winning streak over the Redbirds.
Darian DeVries holds a 5-3 record versus Illinois State as a head coach including two wins at Arch Madness in St. Louis.
HOME SUCCESS
Drake is 9-0 at home this season and has won 29 of its last 30 games in the Knapp Center including 12 consecutive home wins dating back to Feb. 14, 2021.
1,000 POINT CLUB
Guard
D.J. Wilkins became the first four-year play- er during DeVries' head coaching tenure at Drake to score 1,000-plus career points for the Bulldogs. Wilkins eclipsed 1,000 points on Nov. 26 vs. Alabama. He has 1,109 points entering Wednesday's game against Illinois State.
Guard
Roman Penn is only 13 points away from scoring 1,000 career points. This includes his lone season at Siena.
DRAKE'S IRON MAN
Wilkins made his 112th consecutive start in the game against Missouri State on Jan. 2. Wilkins ranks 6th all-time in Drake men's basketball history with 206 career 3-pointers made. Bulldog guard from 2014-18 Reed Timmer currently sits in 5th place with 214 shots made from behind the arc. Josh Young (2006-10) is Drake's all-time leader in career 3-point field goals made with 255 treys.
MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
Drake is ranked No. 16 in the latest men's basketball CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
UP NEXT
Drake men's basketball's next scheduled game is Monday (Jan. 17) at Southern Illinois.
