The Basics
The Drake men's basketball team rolls along with the season for its final game in January and its first contest in February against two of the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bulldogs first host rival Bradley on Saturday, Jan. 31 as part of Des Moines Hometown Team weekend and then hit the road to challenge current league leader Belmont on Tuesday, Feb. 3 from Nashville, Tennessee.
 
Saturday against Bradley, fans are encouraged to Stripe the Knapp by wearing blue or white Drake gear depending on what section they are sitting. Fans can check the Drake Men's Basketball social media accounts for a color coordinate map of what color each section should wear.

Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs are currently riding a three-game winning streak and sit with an overall record of 12-10 and are 6-5 in league play. One of the highlights of the current winning streak for Drake is a 19-point comeback victory in its last time out versus Evansville. Drake's rally over the Purple Aces this past Wednesday tied the largest come from behind victory in program history when it rallied from a 19-point deficit to post a 76-72 overtime victory Feb. 5, 2005, in Evansville also against the Purple Aces.
 
Earlier this week, Jalen Quinn was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week and was one of five players honored with the Oscar Robertson Trophy National Player of the Week. The senior has been on a hot streak over his last five games averaging 27.2 points, while shooting 54.7 percent, with outputs of: 21 points at Southern Illinois, 28 at UIC, 34 vs. Murray State, 27 at Indiana State, and 26 vs. Evansville.
 
Andrew Alia and Eli Shetlar, the two holdovers from last season, have been key contributors in the transition under first year coach Eric Henderson. Alia scored a career-high 19 points in Wednesday's victory against Evansville, while leading Drake with a career tying nine rebounds. Alia, who has started in 21 games, ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.455) and is averaging 7.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. Shetlar has started the last nine straight games for Drake and leads the team with 45 three-point baskets while averaging 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds.
 
Drake Leaders
Jalen Quinn l 18.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.3 apg
Jaehshon Thomas l 10.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.8 apg
Okku Federiko l 10.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, .553 FG%

Scouting Bradley
The Braves carry an overall record of 14-8 into the matchup on Saturday and are 7-4 in MVC play. Bradley brings a stout defense to the hardwood as it currently ranks first in the league in forced turnovers per game (14.9). To go further, the Braves are forcing a turnover on 20-percent of possessions, which is top-30 in the NCAA and are 10-1 this season when allowing 70 points or less.

The head coach of Bradley is Brian Wardle who is in his 11th season in Peoria. While at Bradley, Wardle has amassed a record of 200-155. In his 16 years of coaching he owns a record of 295-220.

The rivalry between Drake and Bradley is the oldest in the MVC and Saturday will mark the 171st all-time meeting between the two programs. Bradley leads the series over Drake, 95-75. Bradley won the first meeting of the season between the two sides, 93-66, on Jan. 7 from Peoria. Drake, however, is 7-3 in its last 10 meetings against the Braves. In games played from Des Moines, Drake boasts an all-time record of 44-31 against Bradley. The Braves did defeat the Bulldogs in the Knapp Center last year, 61-59, however.

Bradley Leaders
Jaquan Johnson l 17.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.5 apg
Alex Huibregtse l 11.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .893 FT%
Demarion Burch l 10.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.1 apg
 
Scouting Belmont
The Bruins currently sit in first place in the league standings with a MVC mark of 9-2. Overall, Belmont has a record of 19-3 and is riding a six-game winning streak, which is the second-longest active streak in the conference. Belmont joins Gonzaga as the only two programs in America to win 19 or more games in 21 consecutive seasons. They will look for their 20th win when they take on Murray State before their battle with the Bulldogs.

Casey Alexander is in his seventh season leading the Bruins and has a record of 159-57 during his tenure. Over his 15-year coaching career, Alexander is 296-177.

Drake and Belmont have played just eight games all-time, but the Bulldogs lead the series by a mark of 5-3. Earlier this season, Belmont defeated Drake from Des Moines on Jan. 10 as the Bruins erased a 25-point deficit to win 78-76. It was the first ever win for the Bruins in Des Moines. In games played from Nashville, Drake is 1-1 all-time against the Bruins.

Belmont Leaders
Tyler Lundbladel l 14.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, .935 FT%
Sam Orme l 12.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, .536 FG%
Drew Scharnowski l 11.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg, .680 FG%
 
Up Next
After its road game against Belmont, Drake heads to Normal, Illinois for a date with the Illinois State Redbirds on Friday, Feb. 6. The Bulldogs next home game will be on Monday, Feb. 9 versus Valparaiso.