THE BASICS
Drake men's basketball resumes a stretch of playing five out of seven MVC games on the road with the first of back-to-back road games, journeying to in-state rival UNI Saturday for a 5 p.m. tip-off at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The game will be air live on ESPNU. 
 
Drake lost at home for the first time in almost a year, falling to Bradley, 83-71 at the Knapp Center on Wednesday night.

Drake shot 37.7 percent from the floor and could not get the stops it needed on the defensive end as the Braves snapped the Bulldogs' 13-game home winning streak. Drake men's basketball had not lost at home since an 81-54 setback to Loyola on Feb. 13, 2021.
 
Four players scored in double figures and Drake forced 15 turnovers, but that wasn't enough to offset Bradley's 59.6 percent shooting (31-for-52), the best by a Drake opponent this season.
 
SCOUTING UNI
The Panthers are 9-8 overall and 5-2 in MVC play after a 83-80 overtime loss at Valparaiso on Wednesday night. The loss snapped a 5-game UNI winning streak.
 
Junior guard and top scorer AJ Green (17.8 points per game) did not play at Valparaiso due to COVID-19 protocols. Freshman guard Bowen Born started in Green's place on Wednesday evening. Sophomore forward Noah Carter has been on a tear in MVC play, scoring at least 15 points in his first seven conference games. On the season, Carter averages 14.4 points per game.
 
As a team, the Panthers rank second in the MVC in free throw percentage at a 76.8 percent clip.
 
UNI was picked to finish third in the MVC preseason poll with six first place votes.
 
UNI SERIES NOTES
This will be the 81st meeting between Drake and UNI in men's basketball. The Panthers lead the all-time series, 50-30.

Drake swept the season series last year with a 80-59 win in Des Moines on Feb. 10, 2021 and a 77-69 victory in Cedar Falls on Feb. 17, 2021. Darian DeVries holds a 4-4 record versus UNI as a head coach.
 
BLUE COLLAR HARD HAT WORKER
Senior swingman Garrett Sturtz has drawn praise around the MVC for his all-out hustle.

Former MVC Player of the Year Adam Emmenecker, an analyst on the MVC TV Network, has given Sturtz the nickname "The Back Cut Ninja" with his ability to break free for high percentage shots around the basket.
 
Despite his 6-3 size, Sturtz ranks second in the MVC in field goal percentage (.605) and third in rebounding with a 7.1 average. He ranks No. 8 in assists/turnover ratio (2.1) and No. 10 in steals (1.3 avg.).
As a constant reminder about displaying a strong work ethic on the basketball court, the Newton, Iowa, carries a blue hard hat on his backpack.

"I found the hard hat in the closet and I thought that we had to incorporate it into the team this year," said Sturtz, who was named to the 2021 MVC Scholar-Athlete team . "I carry that hard hat on my backpack anytime of the day."
 
"It's a constant reminder to myself and even my teammates that every time we get on the court it's time to go to work. It doesn't matter how you feel...feel great or feel bad.. we're here to go to work and get better as a unit."
 
Sturtz has been named to the MVC All-Bench team the past two seasons, providing a spark for Drake.

Now he's developing a strong offensive game. Sturtz is shooting a sizzling 80 percent from the floor, making 20 of his last 25 shots during the past four games, while averaging 13.0 points during that stretch.
 
This week Sturtz scored 16 and 15 points in games against Southern Illinois and Bradley, respectively.

Sturtz started the last 12 games of the 2020-21 campaign, replacing the injured all-league performer Tank Hemphill.
 
In his last appearance at the McLeod Center, Sturtz tallied a career-high 19 points, including 15 in the second half, to spur Drake to a 77-69 win over UNI Feb. 17.
 
HOMECOMING FOR COACH DEVRIES
Drake head coach Darian DeVries is returning to his alma mater. DeVries was a guard for UNI from 1994-98.

DeVries' hometown of Aplington, Iowa is only about 30 minutes from Cedar Falls.
 
SECOND CHANCE
Drake is averaging 10.2 offensive rebounds per game, reaching double figures in 11 of 19 games. The Bulldogs had a season-high 19 offensive rebounds in a 70-65 overtime win against Jackson State.
 
Drake has collected double-figure offensive re- bounds in two MVC games, but both times the efforts resulted in losses at Missouri State (14 offensive boards) and in a Wednesday home game with Bradley, when the Bulldogs had 13 offensive rebounds including four boards on the same offensive possession in the first half.
 
The Bulldogs currently rank third in the MVC in total offensive rebounds (193).
 
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's next scheduled game is Wednesday (Jan. 26) at Illinois State.