The Basics
The Drake men's basketball team returns to action for two games over the next four days. The Bulldogs first welcome SIUE to the Knapp Center on Friday, Nov. 14 and then hits the road to challenge the College of Charleston on Monday, Nov. 17.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake bounced back with a win over Simpson, 89-51, in its last time out after suffering a loss to Robert Morris in the second game of the year. Drake posted season highs in eight categories: scoring (89), baskets (28), three-point baskets (9), field goal percentage (.467), rebounds (48), assists (15), steals (11) and blocked shots (6) against the Storm.
The Bulldogs sure bring a lot of size on the defensive end of the floor this season with four of 13 players on the roster measuring in at 6-foot-9 or taller. With the height on the team, that has led to a fair amount of blocked shots in the early goings of the season. Through three games, Drake has 18 blocked shots, which is good for an average of 6.0 blocks per game. That mark is tied for 37th in the country.
Individually, the block party has been led by
Okku Federiko with six blocked shots on the season. Next in line would be
Isaiah Carr and
Wilguens Jr. Exacte who each have four blocks, respectively. Federiko's six swats are tied for 33rd nationally.
Drake Leaders
Jalen Quinn l 16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.3 apg
Okku Federiko l 14.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.0 blks
Jaehshon Thomas l 13.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg
Scouting SIUE
The Cougars head to Des Moines carrying a 2-1 record. In their last time out, SIUE fell to fellow Missouri Valley Conference member Indiana State, 64-55. The Cougars are coming off their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament last season as they earned the No. 16 seed in the Midwest Region out of the Ohio Valley Conference. SIUE has posted strong defensive numbers in the early goings of this season holding its opponents to a field goal percentage of .333, which ranks 12th in the country.
Head coach Brian Barone is in his seventh season at the helm of the SIUE program. During his tenure the Cougars have gone 88-104.
Drake leads the all-time series, 2-1, and every game between the Bulldogs and Cougars has been played from Des Moines. The last time the two teams met occurred on December 17, 2018, with Drake winning, 79-66.
SIUE Leaders
Ring Malith l 17.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, .528 FG%
Myles Thompson l 11.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, .538 FG%
Jo Valrie l 8.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, .529 FG%
Scouting Charleston
Charleston is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time since January 18-20, 2024, after falling to Liberty and Florida Atlantic at the Field of 68 Tip-Off in Lynchburg, Va. The Cougars were picked to finish third in the Coastal Athletic Association, receiving one first place vote and 130 total points. Charleston hosts South Carolina State prior to its meeting with Drake.
Charleston is led by head coach Chris Mack, who is in his second season at the program. Mack has posted a 25-11 record while in Charleston. This season marks his 15th as a head coach with previous stints at Xavier and Louisville. Mack has an overall record of 303-144 record as a head coach.
Monday marks the first-ever meeting between Drake and Charleston on the hardwood.
Charleston Leaders
Martin Kalu l 14.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, .500 3pt%
Jlynn Counter l 13.3 ppg, 5.3 apg, 5.0 rpg
Chol Machot l 13.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.0 blk
Up Next
Drake heads back to the Knapp Center for a contest against Buena Vista on Friday, Nov. 21. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT.
