THE BASICS
Drake men's basketball welcomes Southwest Minnesota State to the Knapp Center on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. The game will count as a regular season contest for the Bulldogs, but it will be an exhibition for the Mustangs. Drake utilized a dominant second half to defeat Lipscomb, 85-70 in the season opener on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday's game will air live locally on Mediacom MC22 and will stream worldwide on ESPN+. 102.1/1350 ESPN Des Moines is back as the radio home of Drake men's basketball with Michael Admire (play-by-play) and Paul Doerrfeld (analyst) describing the action.
SCOUTING SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
Southwest Minnesota State is coming off an impressive 63-56 win over the No. 1 ranked team in NCAA Division II, Northwest Missouri State on Saturday, Nov. 11. The Mustangs won both of their games at the Missouri Western State Classic, having defeated Southeastern Oklahoma State, 72-68 the day prior. Senior guard Cliff Cofield scored a team-high 20 points in the victory over Northwest Missouri State while junior guard Dunwa Omot added 15 points.
SMSU, an NCAA Division II school, was picked to finish seventh in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Preseason Poll with senior center Jake Phipps tabbed as the Player to Watch after averaging 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds a season ago.
Southwest Minnesota State finished last season with a 16-12 overall mark, including 12-10 in the NSIC.
Brad Bigler is in his 15th season in charge of his alma mater. Mustangs associate head coach Nick Smith, a Johnston native is the son of current Drake women's golf head coach Steve Smith.
SERIES VS. SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
Tuesday night will be the first-ever meeting between Southwest Minnesota State and Drake.
MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After a 36-point, five rebound, six assist outing in the season opener,
Tucker DeVries was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week. He scored the most points by an MVC player in a season-opening game since 2014. According to College Basketball Reference,
Tucker DeVries entered Monday, Nov. 13 leading all NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 36.0 points per game. DeVries also ranks third in the nation in player efficiency rating (47.9).
IN THE POLLS
In addition to sitting atop the 2023-24 MVC preseason poll, Drake has garnered respect in national and mid-major polls.
The Bulldogs rank first in the Field of 68 Network Mid-Major Top 25 poll while checking in at No. 5 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. Drake is currently receiving one vote in the AP Top 25.
SPORTS CENTER TOP 10
Conor Enright's miraculous basket flipped up into the air after a steal and fastbreak earned him No. 3 on SportsCenter Top 10 plays on Wednesday night (Nov. 8).
HOME NON-CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK
The Drake men's basketball team enters Tuesday having won 38 consecutive non-conference matchups at the Knapp Center
UP NEXT
Drake men's basketball will travel to paradise for the Cayman Islands Classic Nov. 19-21.
