The Basics
The Drake men's basketball team looks to complete the second leg of its two-game road trip on Tuesday, Feb. 4 as it takes on the Murray State Racers from the CFSB Center. The Bulldogs will then return home for their second contest of the week as they host Indiana State on Saturday, Feb. 8.
 
Saturday's home contest against Indiana State is a part of Des Moines Hometown Team Weekend. Over the weekend of Feb. 7-9, the Drake men and women's basketball teams will celebrate being Des Moines' hometown teams with a unique experience for fans to partake in with Hoopy Hour. The event allows fans to experience the revamped Mid-American Atrium and Morrison Hall of Honor while getting to enjoy live music alongside current Drake head coaches, and Drake Athletics staff. More information about Hoopy Hour can be found HERE.
 
Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs improved their overall record to 20-2 this season after picking up victories over UNI and Southern Illinois last week, extending their winning streak to eight games. Drake achieved its 12th 20-victory campaign in school history, including the last seven straight seasons dating back to the 2018-19 campaign. Drake also improved to 10-2 in the MVC, maintaining first place in the league. This marked the fifth straight season Drake has won 10-plus league games in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
Bennett Stirtz hardly takes a break when he steps on the floor. The 6-4 guard leads the NCAA and Missouri Valley Conference in minutes per game (38.36) with graduate teammate Mitch Masacri ranking second in the MVC and third nationally at 37.22. Stirtz has spent a conference-leading 849 minutes 15 seconds on the hardwood. He has played the entire distance in 12 games this season including overtime victories against Kansas State and Missouri State. Drake graduate forward Daniel Abreu has logged 33:28 minutes per game, ranking eighth in the MVC in minutes
 
Keeping teams below 40 percent clip from the floor is a near-certain indicator of a Drake victory. Under Ben McCollum, Drake is 7-0 when teams fail to shoot better than 40 percent vs. the Bulldogs defense. Drake has held three MVC opponents to 37.5 percent shooting or less: Belmont, .375; Evansville .372; and Indiana State .360. The Bulldogs have also limited nine teams to 60-or-fewer points this season. Just four opponents have exceeded 70 points vs. Drake this season. Vanderbilt (70), Kansas State (70) UIC (74) and Valparaiso (71) are the only teams to score 70-or-more vs. Drake this season.
 
Drake Leaders
Bennett Stirtz l 18.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 6.3 apg
Mitch Mascari l 11.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, .466 3pt%
Daniel Abreu l 11.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .443 FG%

 
Scouting Murray State
The Racers come into the week with an overall record of 11-12 and post a league mark of 5-7. Murray State has gone 5-4 in home contests this season and will look to put an end to their current three-game losing streak. In their last five contests, the Racers have gone 1-4.
 
Murray State is led by head coach Steve Prohm, who is in his second stint as the head coach of the program. Over his seven seasons as head coach of the Racers, Prohm owns a record of 144-76. He has an overall record of 241-171 in 13 seasons between Murray State and Iowa State.
 
The Bulldogs and Racers have a brief history of playing against one another with just eight all-time matchups between the two programs. Drake leads the all-time series, 5-3. The Bulldogs own a record of 1-1 in road games against Murray State. The Racers got the better of the Bulldogs earlier this season, snapping Drake's 28-game home winning streak. Prior to that loss on Jan. 5, the Bulldogs had won five-straight over the Racers.

Murray State Leaders
JaCobi Wood l 13.5 ppg, 5.0 apg, .410 3pt%
AJ Ferguson l 12.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, .506 FG%
Kylen Milton l 11.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.2 spg
 
Scouting Indiana State
Similarly to the Racers, Indiana State posts a current overall record of 11-12 and is 5-7 in MVC play. The Sycamores recently ended a six-game skid and have won their last two contests, including a win on the road at fourth place UIC. Indiana State hosts Valparaiso on Wednesday night before making its trip to Des Moines.
 
Indiana State is coached by Matthew Graves, who is in his first season at the helm. Prior to taking the reins in Terre Haute, Graves spent five seasons at South Alabama and amassed a record of 65-96.
 
The Bulldogs and the Sycamores have a tightly contested all-time series with Drake slightly leading, 52-49. Drake posts a record of 33-13 over Indiana State in games that have taken place in Des Moines. In the last 10 matchups, Drake has had success going 8-2 against the Sycamores including the matchup earlier this season on Jan. 18 from Terre Haute with the Bulldogs winning, 71-53.
 
Indiana State Leaders
Samage Teel l 16.3 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.4 rpg
Jayden Daughtry l 13.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, .594 FG%
Aaron Gray l 9.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, .500 FG%
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs will travel to Normal, Illinois to take on the Redbirds of Illinois State in a midweek matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 12, and then return to Des Moines to host Bradley on Sunday, Feb. 16.