The Basics
Drake is an 11-seed in the West Region facing off against No. 6 seed Missouri. It will be the first meeting between the schools since Missouri escaped with a 76-74 win at Drake Dec. 8, 1987. Tipoff is slated for 6:35 pm CT and the game will be broadcast on truTV.
 
Drake is back in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years, including the third straight season. Drake is one of 37 Division-I teams to qualify for the Big Dance in at least three of the last four seasons.
 
Drake, riding a seven-game winning streak, owns a school record 30-3 mark en route to becoming the 21st team to sweep both the MVC regular season and post-season tournaments in the same year.
 
POSTSEASON HISTORY
Drake makes its 17th all-time postseason appearance, its eighth NCAA appearance and its fourth NCAA appearance in five years. Drake has three NIT berths and a title in the 1975 National Commissioners Invitational Tournament.
 
The Bulldogs are 14-15 all-time in postseason tournament games, including a 6-7 record in NCAA Tournament games.
 
NCAA HISTORY
Drake also has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2024,2023, 2021, 2008, 1971, 1970 and 1969.
 
The Bulldogs advanced to the Final Four in 1969 falling to Lew Alcindor led UCLA, 85-82, in the semifinal round. Drake whipped North Carolina,104-84 in the third-place game.
 
Drake's last NCAA Tournament win also was as a No. 11 seed, beating Wichita State, 53-52, in the 2021 First Four games played in West Lafayette, Ind.
 
This will mark Drake's second NCAA Tournament appearance in Wichita with the Bulldogs beating Notre Dame, 79-72 in double overtime in the first round of the 1971 NCAA Midwest Regional before falling to Kansas, 73-71, in the regional final.
 
The Bulldogs also own NCAA Tournament wins over Houston, Texas A&M and Colorado State.
 
In its 2008 NCAA Tournament appearance, the 5th-seeded Bulldogs suffered a 101-99 last-second overtime loss to Western Kentucky as Ty Rodgers buried a deep three-pointer as time expired.
 
SURVEYING THE FIELD
Drake owns a 1-0 record against the 68 teams selected to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs beat Vanderbilt, 81-70, to win the Charleston Classic Nov. 30. Vanderbilt (20-12) is a No. 10 in the East Regional playing No. 7 seed St. Mary's in Cleveland, Ohio, Friday
 
DRAKE VS. THE QUADRANT
This will be Drake's first game against Missouri since the Tigers escaped with a 76-74 victory in Des Moines Dec. 8, 1987. The Tigers own a 25-7 lead in the series, but this will be the first time the schools have played on a neutral site nearly 90 years.
 
Regarding the other teams on their side of the bracket, the Bulldogs lost to UNC Wilmington, 76-75, in the quarterfinal round of the CBI played at Dayton Beach, Fla. March 21, 2022. Drake owned a 41-24 halftime lead.
 
Drake has never faced Texas Tech in the regular season although the two teams played in a preseason scrimmage last November in Lubbock.
 
DRAKE VS. THE SEC
This will be Drake's second test against an SEC team this season after beating Vanderbilt, 81-70, in the championship of the Charleston Classic Nov. 24.
 
Drake owns a cumulative 23-49 record against SEC schools having won its last two games against Vanderbilt this past Nov. 24 and Mississippi State (58-52) in Lincoln, Neb., Dec. 20, 2022. The Bulldogs have played every SEC school except for Florida and Kentucky.
 
DRAKE VS. THE POWER FIVE
The Bulldogs have won four of their last six games against Power Five conference teams, including the last three contests played during the 2024-25 campaign. Drake beat Miami, 80-69, and Vanderbilt, 81-70, to win the Charleston Classic followed by a 73-70 overtime win against Kansas State in a game played in Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 17.
 
TOURNAMENT TESTED
This will mark the third tournament that Drake is competing in this season. The Bulldogs captured the Charleston Classic beating Miami (80-69) in the first round followed by victories against Florida Atlantic (75-63) and Vanderbilt (81-70) in the championship.
 
Less than two weeks ago, Drake won three games in as many days to capture its third straight State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship in St. Louis, Mo., March 9 beating Bradley, 63-48, in the title game.
 
QUADRANT DRAKE CONNECTIONS
Gary Garner, an assistant coach (1977-81) under Missouri's legendary Norm Stewart, was head coach at Drake from 1981-88 being named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 1982. He was the head coach at Drake the last time the Bulldogs played Missouri in 1987.
 
Kurt Kanaskie, who served as head coach at Drake from 1996-2003, is in fifth year as associate head coach at UNC Wilmington.
 
Former Drake basketball player Kevin Overton is a key reserve for Texas Tech, averaging 8.2 points. Overton started 35 games as a true freshman for Drake in 2023-24, being named to the MVC All-Freshman team after averaging 11.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
The winner of Drake-Missouri will play the winner of Texas Tech-UNC Wilmington on Saturday, March 22.