THE BASICS
Drake men's basketball will celebrate its 2023 MVC Tournament Championship season with a pregame banner unveiling before taking on the Lipscomb Bisons in the 2023-24 season opener inside the Knapp Center on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.

SCOUTING LIPSCOMB
Lipscomb fell to Wichita State, 76-59 in its season opener on Monday, Nov. 6. Junior guard and Cincinnati transfer AJ McGinnis led the way with 17 points while graduate student guard Derrin Boyd also poured in 17 points against the Shockers. Junior guard Will Pruitt hauled in a team-high six rebounds on Monday evening. 

The Bisons were picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Sun Preseason Coaches Poll and third in the ASUN Preseason Media Poll while junior forward and former Valparaiso Beacon Jacob Ognacevic earned Preseason All-ASUN honors. Ognacevic earned a 2022-23 ASUN First Team All-Conference selection. 

Last year, Lipscomb recorded its first 20-win season (20-13) under head coach Lennie Acuff before falling to eventual ASUN Tournament champion Kennesaw State in the semifinal round.  

The 2022 non-conference slate for the Bisons was highlighted by a cross-town win over Belmont (77-75 on Nov. 14) and a 75-67 win at Louisville on Dec. 20. 

SERIES VS. LIPSCOMB
Wednesday night will be the first-ever meeting between Lipscomb and Drake.

EXHIBITION RECAP
Darian DeVries utilized all 14 active players in a 95-50 win over Truman State in exhibition play on Thursday, Nov. 8. Drake relied on perimeter shooting to open the game making four straight three-point baskets to erase a 3-0 deficit. The Bulldogs promptly built a 12-3 lead that they never relinquished.

Carlos Rosario added 17 points for Drake, including 15 in the second half. Rosario scored nine straight points in span of 3:22 late in the game, igniting Drake to an 86-41 advantage.

Drake's aggressive defense forced Truman State into committing as many turnovers (17) as baskets made (17) in the game.

Freshman guard Kevin Overton chipped in with 14 points, including three three-point baskets. Overton was one of two players in the starting lineup making their Drake debut joining guard Atin Wright.

Drake out-rebounded Truman State, 41-21, with big man Darnell Brodie grabbing a game-high eight rebounds.

SUSTAINED SUCCESS
Drake ranks seventh for most wins (98) since 2020 among NCAA Division-I men's basketball teams.

PRESEASON RECOGNITION
In addition to sitting atop the 2023-24 MVC preseason poll, Drake has garnered respect in national and mid-major preseason polls. 

The Bulldogs rank first in the Field of 68 Network's Mid-Major Top 25 poll while checking in at No. 5 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. Drake received one vote in the AP Preseason Top 25. 

Tucker DeVries is on the preseason watch list for both the Naismith Trophy (men's college basketball's best player) and the Julius Erving Award (best small forward in men's college basketball). 

BIG BRODIE
Darnell Brodie is back for his sixth season of collegiate basketball. Brodie earned a spot on the 2022-23 MVC Most Improved Team leading Drake  in rebounding (7.3 avg.) which ranked fourth in MVC & blocked shots (35), while averaging career-high 9.1 points. Brodie shot 65 percent (13-20), while averaging 9.0 rebounds in three MVC Tournament games. He put together one of his best games of the year in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Miami (20 points, nine rebounds) after he ripped down a career-high 17 rebounds in the semifinal round of the MVC Tournament versus Southern Illinois. 

WELCOME BACK
Conor Enright, Nate Ferguson, Eric Northweather, Andrew Alia and Brashon Hall return with DeVries and Brodie. 

Enright was named to the 2022-23 MVC All-Freshman Team and earned MVC Scholar Athlete Honorable Mention status. Northweather is back for his season as a Drake Bulldog.

Ferguson was a key piece off of the bench in 2022-23 especially during the second half of the season, averaging 12.1 minutes of action.

Alia and Hall redshirted the 2022-23 season.

THE NEWEST DOGS
10 total newcomers will call Des Moines home for the first time. Transferring in from UT Arlington, Kyron Gibson provides a veteran presence in the backcourt after leading UT Arlington with 11.2 points, 3.9 assists 1.2 steals per game. 

Sharpshooting guard Atin Wright was a two-time All-Big West Honorable Mention at CSUN. 2022-23 Patriot League Freshman of the Year Ethan Roberts comes to the Bulldogs from Army. The last transfer secured by Drake was Dominican Republic born athletic forward Carlos Rosario from Washington State.

Kevin Overton started the exhibition against Truman State and is ready to make an immediate impact after a postgrad year at prep powerhouse Sunrise Christian in Kansas. Colby Garland hails from Arkansas where he was a part of a high school dynasty, leading his team to two state titles. 

Forward Elijah Price was the last addition to the 2023 signing class. Chico Johnson was Drake's lone early signee last season from Central Catholic in Toledo, Ohio, coming back from an ACL injury prior to his senior season. Patrick Bath and Bennett Fried are both walk-on additions.

UP NEXT
Drake men's basketball will welcome Southwest Minnesota State to Des Moines for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Tuesday, Nov. 14.