The Basics
The Drake men's basketball team is back in the Midwest for its next pair of games after spending last week on the east coast at the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic. The Bulldogs are set to host Georgia Southern (Nov. 30) before heading to Indiana for their first conference matchup of the season against Valparaiso (Dec. 5).
 
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake continued its hot start to the season and improved its record to 6-0 after taking home the tournament title at the Shriners Children's Classic last week. The Bulldogs defeated Miami (80-69), Florida Atlantic (75-63), and Vanderbilt (81-70) to capture the championship. The win over Vanderbilt in the championship game also marked the 400th career victory for head coach Ben McCollum.
 
This marked the fourth tournament championship for Drake since 2018. The Bulldogs captured the 2018 Continental Tires Las Vegas Classic, the 2020 Little Apple Classic in and the 2022 Paradise Jam championship. For the ninth time in school history, including the third time in the last five years, Drake has won its first six games to start the season: 2022-23 (6-0 start) and 2020-21 (18-0 start) as well.
 
Bennett Stirtz and Mitch Mascari were honored for their efforts in Charleston by being named MVC Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday. Stirtz averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds over three games at the Charleston Classic to lead Drake to the tournament title along with being named tournament MVP. Mascari averaged 18.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in three games, while making three or more three-pointers in every game shooting 57-percent (12-21) from behind the arc.
 
Drake Leaders
Bennett Stirtz l 18.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6.3 apg
Daniel Abreu l 15.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .400 3pt%
Mitch Mascari l 14.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, .512 3pt%

 
Scouting Georgia Southern
The Eagles make the trek to Des Moines for their first matchup with Drake since the 2008-09 season. Georgia Southern comes in off a 64-54 victory over West Georgia in its most recent game and owns an overall record of 5-2 on the season.
 
Charlie Henry leads the Eagles program and is in his second season at Georgia Southern. Henry is one of the 20 youngest head coaches in Division I basketball and has amassed a record of 14-26 during his stint at Georgia Southern.
 
In the all-time series, Drake leads Georgia Southern by a mark of 2-1. The Eagles won the first-ever meeting between the two programs all the way back in 1988 (68-58), but the Bulldogs took the next two contests in 2006 (87-75) and 2008 (84-73). Every matchup in this series has been played in Des Moines.

Georgia Southern Leaders
Adante' Holiman l 15.9 ppg, .479 FG%, .449 3pt%
Nakavieon White l 13.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, .515 FG%
Bradley Douglas l 11.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.7 spg
 
Scouting Valparaiso
The Beacons are off to a 4-2 start to the season and are riding a three-game winning streak defeating Lindenwood, Eastern Illinois, and Northen Illinois in that span. Valpo will play one game before it hosts the Bulldogs against DePaul.
 
Valparaiso is coached by Roger Powell Jr., who is in his second season at the helm. The Beacons have gone 11-27 under his direction. Valpo was picked to finish 10th in the MVC Preseason Poll.

The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with the Beacons, 12-8. Drake has won the previous six contests over Valpo with the last win by the Beacons coming in February 2021 (74-57).

Valparaiso Leaders
Devon Ellis l 12.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, .475 FG%
Cooper Schwieger l 12.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro l 11.5 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.2 spg
 
 
Up Next
Drake will host St. Ambrose from the Knapp Center on Dec. 12 with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m. The contest against St. Ambrose will be a part of the doubleheader with the women's basketball team, who hosts North Dakota at 5 p.m. Drake basketball is partnering with Foster SQUAD for the Dec. 12 non-conference double-header and fans can participate in this benefit partnership by bringing a new toy to Dec. 12's games in exchange for a free ticket and knowing you provided joy to a child this holiday season.