Drake Being Drake

Bulldogs Defeat Mizzou

(Wichita, KS) – Drake advances in the NCAA Tournament with a 67-57 win over Missouri. This is just another edition of Drake being Drake. The Bulldogs (31-3) defend like no one in the country and patiently run their highly efficient offense with maddening precision.

Drake leads the nation in scoring defense, yielding 58.4 points-per-game and Thursday they held Mizzou to 57. Despite being one of the shortest teams in the Big Dance, they are a top twenty-five team in rebound margin, grabbing five more caroms than their opponents.

On this night in Wichita they held that exact margin over the much taller Tigers. They simply stay true to what they believe and what they’ve practiced. This team just expects the unexpected.

All-American Bennett Stirtz was a star again, scoring 21 points, but this was a collective team effort. Little used Kael Combs came up big playing twenty-three minutes, grabbing five rebounds, handing out four assists and hitting two key late game free throws.

Drake Being Drake on Defense

Missouri came into the game as the NCAA’s ninth, highest scoring team. Drake held them to a 33 percent shooting night (25% from deep) and twenty-seven points under their season average.

Drake’s thirteen steals were a part of a defense that continually rattled Missouri. Mitch Mascari led the way with four thefts. Cam Manyawu and Tavion Banks added three a piece.

As big as the turnovers was the constant ball pressure that took Mizzou out of its offensive rhythm. Bulldog players aren’t impressed with the defensive effort. It’s just Drake being Drake.

Daniel Abreu, Manyawu and Stirtz tell us that’s just the way the Bulldogs play.

Crashing the glass is a huge part of making defensive stands and Manyawu says he and Banks think of every missed shot as a pass that they should catch.

Staying Efficient on Offense

The Bulldogs are extremely patient and selfless. While Stirtz is the center piece of the offense, this team spreads the wealth. Drake handed out 18 assists on twenty-five field goals and all eight Bulldogs that played also scored.

Banks scored 15 points and Drake is 18-0 when he reaches double figures. Drake players know their roles and freshman Isaia Howard has been growing into his. The Plattsburg, Missouri native has seen his playing time grow as the season has progressed and he is an energy giver.

His seven points included two dunks and one three-pointer. He knows he has to be a spark to this otherwise very cerebral team.

Stirtz threw in a one-legged, running sideways three pointer and Mascari connected on a wild left-handed hook in the lane. Each joked about those shots. Stirtz showed me the sock he tore through, exposing his left big toe during his crazy shot.

Coach McCollum is so ‘process driven’ that his players have picked up on that. Abreu has already turned the page to Saturday’s game against Texas Tech. Mascari said he was very happy about the win, ‘for about ten seconds and then I started thinking about the next game.’

Drake shot 54 percent for the game and went five of ten from long distance.

Will Drake being Drake be good enough for them to win on Saturday and reach the Sweet Sixteen? We’ll find out, but you can bet they won’t play out of character.

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