The Basics
After splitting the opening week of Missouri Valley Conference play, the Drake men's basketball team returns to non-conference action against Omaha at home on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. before traveling to Richmond on Saturday, Dec. 10 for a 1 p.m. (CT) tip-off.
Broadcast Information
Wednesday's game versus Omaha will be televised locally on Mediacom MC22 and streamed live on ESPN+.
Saturday's game at Richmond will be streamed live on ESPN+.
102.1/1350 ESPN Des Moines is back at the radio home of Drake men's basketball and all Drake men's basketball game audio is streamed online via The Varsity Network App.
Scouting Omaha
Omaha is off to a 3-6 start to the season having lost its lost two matchups including a 75-45 defeat at North Texas on Saturday.
The Mavericks opened the season at No. 5 Kansas (89-64 loss). Omaha won both of its games at the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla., Nov. 25-26 against Louisiana Monroe (63-56) and Southern (88-78). The Mavericks played a common opponent to Drake in a 74-54 loss at Mississippi State on Nov. 28.
Sophomore forward Frankie Fidler (11.3 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game) has been the leading scorer and rebounder so far for Omaha. He has also swiped a team-best 11 steals. Fellow sophomore forward Marquel Sutton aver- ages 10.4 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Omaha finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 5-25 overall record (4-14 Summit League record).
Chris Crutchfield enters his first season at the helm of the Maverick men's basketball program. Crutchfield has been a Division I assistant at New Mexico State, TCU, Oral Roberts, Oklahoma and Oregon. He spent the 2020-21 season as the head coach at East Central University.
Series vs. Omaha
Drake leads the all-time series, 10-1 and has won the last three meetings in the series including a 78-70 victory at Omaha last season.
Scouting Richmond
The reigning Atlantic 10 Tournament champions have begun the 2022-23 season with a 3-5 record but four of those five losses have been decided by five points or less including two defeats in overtime.
Richmond is coming off back-to-back losses last week at Toledo (90-67) and William & Mary (58-57). Senior forward Tyler Burton poured in 26 points in the close road loss at William & Mary.
Burton paces the Spiders with 18.5 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. Redshirt freshman guard Jason Nelson leads Richmond with 26 assists and 12 steals.
Last season, Richmond finished 24-13 including a 67-63 win over Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.
Chris Mooney is the all-time winningest coach in Richmond men's basketball history with a 315-249 record over 18 seasons in charge.
Series vs. Richmond
Last year's 73-70 Bulldog win over the Spiders inside the Knapp Center on Nov. 20 was the only other meeting between the two programs.
3J
D.J. Wilkins is closing in on Josh Young to become Drake's all-time leader in career 3-point baskets made. Wilkins entered the season with 237 3-pointers in a Drake uniform.
Name 3 Ptrs Yrs
1. Josh Young 255 2006-10
2. D.J. Wilkins 249 2018-
3. Luke McDonald 241 1981-85
3. Klayton Korver 241 2003-08
Scrappy Sturtz
Standing at 6-foot-3, the scrappy
Garrett Sturtz has climbed all the way up the Drake career rebounding chart to fourth all-time and is only 98 rebounds away from reaching Melvin Mathis' top mark.
Name Rebs Yrs
1. Melvin Mathis 854 1982-86
2. Jonathon Cox 817 2002-06
3. Sam Roark 792 1986-90
4. Garrett Sturtz 756 2018-
Nothin' But NET
Drake had the best ranking among MVC teams in the first NCAA Net Rankings of the season. Currently, four Valley teams are in the Top 100.
The Bulldogs are 1-1 vs. Quad 2 teams, 2-0 vs. Quad 3 teams and 3-0 against teams from Quad 4.
MVC Team Ranking
Drake 58
Bradley 79
Southern Illinois 84
Indiana State 96
Up Next
Drake will take on Saint Louis on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at Chaifetz Arena in another road contest against an A-10 opponent.
