Drake Men's Basketball Weekly Update – Feb. 10
Records
Overall: 11-13
Missouri Valley Conference: 5-8
Last 10: 5-5
Last Three: 1-2
Home: 7-4
Away: 3-6
Neutral: 1-3
Upcoming Events This Week
Competition
Wednesday, February 13 – at Wichita State (Charles Koch Arena) – 7 p.m.
Television: KS22 (Kansas)
Radio: 1350 AM – KRNT
Saturday, February 16 – Northern Iowa (Knapp Center) – 7:05 p.m.
Television: Mediacom MC22
Radio: 1350 AM – KRNT
Teleconferences
Monday, February 11 – MVC Teleconference – 11 a.m. CST
The Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball
coaches teleconference starts at approximately 11 a.m. CST with Drake
head coach Mark Phelps scheduled to join the call at 11:06 a.m. CST. For
dial-in information to the teleconference, please
contact the MVC office.
Coaches Shows/Luncheons
Monday, February 11 – Drake Basketball Coaches’ Show – Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery (West Des Moines) – 7 p.m. CST
The Drake Basketball Coaches’ show returns to the
air on KRNT 1350-AM and originating live from Rock Bottom Restaurant
& Brewery (4508 University Avenue, West Des Moines) at 7 p.m.
Women’s head coach Jennie Baranczyk leads off the program.
Men’s head coach Mark Phelps joins the discussion at approximately 7:30
p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 12 – Coffee With The Coaches – Smokey Row – 7:30-9 a.m. CST
Members of the men’s basketball staff – if
schedules allow – and other Drake coaches will visit with fans at Smokey
Row Coffee (1910 Cottage Grove Avenue Des Moines, IA 50314) from 7:30 –
9 a.m. Free house-blend brewed coffee will be available
to those in attendance.
Team Notes
- In the loss at Evansville, Drake was 10-of-21 from the three-point arc, its 10th game of the season with 10 or more three-pointers.
- Drake held a 32-18 advantage in points in the
paint against Evansville, its second most points in the lane in MVC play
this season. The 14-point advantage was easily its biggest in MVC play
this season.
- On the week, Drake averaged 82 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting and 44.9 percent from three-point range.
- Drake moved up to 40 percent on its three-point shooting, the 11th highest average in the nation.
- Drake played its second overtime game in its last three outings and fell to 1-1 in overtime games this season.
- The Bulldogs lost back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 8.
- Drake’s bench has outscored the bench of its last nine opponents by a 196-138 margin.
- Ben Simons scored a season-high 27 points on
9-of-12 shooting and 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc at Evansville.
In his last three games, he is 12-of-18 from the three-point arc. He
also moved up to 11th in career scoring
at Drake.
- Jordan Clarke scored in double-figures for the
fourth straight game with his second straight double-double on 10 points
and 14 rebounds.
MVC Player of the Week Nominee
Ben Simons
F – 6-8 – 209
Sr. – Cadillac, Mich.
Scored a season-high 27 points in the loss at
Evansville on 9-of-12 shooting and a 5-of-7 night from the three point
arc … had 13 points in the loss to Illinois State … shot 63.6 percent
from the field and 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the
three-point arc … has moved into 11th in career scoring at Drake … is 12-of-18 from the three-point arc in his last three games.
MVC Newcomer of the Week Nominee
Joey King
F – 6-9 – 215
Fr. – Eagan, Minn.
The reigning MVC Newcomer of the week averaged 8.5
points and 4.5 rebounds on the week while shooting 5-of-11 from the
field and 4-of-6 from the three-point arc … had six points on a pair of
three-pointers with six rebounds and two blocks
in 23 minutes before fouling out against Evansville … in the loss to
Illinois State, he added 11 points.
Player Notes
0 – Kori Babineux – Played nine minutes with two points at Evansville.
1 – Jordan Clarke – Recorded back-to-back
double-doubles, his fifth and sixth of the season with 10 points and 14
rebounds (5 offensive) at Evansville and 12 points and 10 board against
Illinois State.
2 – Gary Ricks, Jr. – Averaged 20 minutes
on the week and was 3-of-8 from the three-point arc … averaged 5.5
points and 3.5 rebounds … had six points, four rebounds and two assists
at Evansville.
3 – Richard Carter – Averaged 15 points and
6.5 assists and was 13-of-14 from the free-throw line on the week …
scored 13 points with seven assists at Evansville … scored 17 points
with six assists against Illinois State.
4 – Chris Hines – Scored 16 points on a 4-of-7 night from the arc against Illinois State … was 5-of-8 from the arc on the week.
10 – Jeremy Jeffers – Played in 13 minutes on the week.
11 – Karl Madison - DNP – Injury (Knee)
21 – Robert Puleikis – DNP – Coach’s Decision
22 – Micah Mason – Averaged eight minutes a game on the week … was 1-of-2 from the three-point arc and had three assists.
23 – Mitch McLaughlin – DNP – Coach’s Decision
24 – Joey King – Averaged 8.5 points and 4.5
rebounds on the week while shooting 66.7 percent from the three-point
arc … had 11 points against Illinois State and six points at Evansville.
25 – Matt Bowie – DNP – Coach’s Decision
34 – Ben Simons – Exploded for a season-high
27 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from the
three-point arc … averaged 20.0 points on the week and was 14-of-22 from
the floor and 8-of-13 from the arc … moved into
11th all-time in scoring at Drake.
40 - Daddy Ugbede – DNP – Injury (Wrist)
45 – Seth VanDeest – Scored 20 points with
nine rebounds (5 offensive) in a pair of games … Scored 11 points with
four rebounds (3 offensive) at Evansville … was 8-of-13 from the floor.
This Week’s Opponents
Wichita State
The Shockers are 20-5 this season and 9-4 in the
MVC but have dropped three of their last four games. The squad is 13-1
at home this season after defeating Missouri State, 79-50, on Saturday
afternoon. Cleanthony Early leads the team with
14.7 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting while Carl Hall adds 12.2
points and 7.3 rebounds per game. As a team, WSU averages 69.1 points
per game while the defense holds opponents to 10 fewer points and 39.2
percent shooting from the floor.
The Series vs. Wichita State
Drake and Wichita State meet for the 143rd time
with WSU holding a 95-47 advantage in the series. The Shockers hold a
58-12 advantage in games played in Wichita. WSU has won two straight
over the Bulldogs and six of the last 10. Drake’s
last win in Wichita came on Dec. 29, 2007.
First Meeting, L 75-63
Freshmen Micah Mason and Joey King combined to
score 29 points, but the Drake men’s basketball team couldn't overcome a
hot-shooting Wichita State squad as the Shockers downed the Bulldogs,
75-63, at the Knapp Center. Mason was 4-of-7
from the three-point arc for 14 points, 11 of them coming in the second
half. King scored a late flurry of points on a 7-of-10 performance from
the floor for 15 points, his most since scoring 21 against Xavier at
the DirecTV Classic. Wichita State was 12-of-25
from the three-point arc and scored 29 points off Drake's 19 turnovers.
The Shockers were paced by Nick Wiggins’ 18 points and four
three-pointers. Drake trailed by as many as 17 with eight minutes left
in the game but clawed back within eight points in the
final minute thanks to back-to-back baskets by King as part of an 8-0
run.
Northern Iowa
The Panthers are currently 14-11 overall and 7-6 in
the MVC heading into their Wednesday game against Creighton and have
won three straight games and five of their last seven. Anthony James
leads three Panthers in double-figures with 12.4
points per game. Seth Tuttle and Jake Koch average 10.4 and 10.2 points
per game and more than six rebounds per game each. The Panthers average
66.2 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting.
The Series vs. Northern Iowa
The teams meet for the 62nd time with UNI holding a
37-24 advantage in the series with three straight wins over the
Bulldogs. Drake is 16-13 against the Panthers in Des Moines, but 9-11 in
the Knapp Center.
First Meeting, L 85-55
An early first-half deficit coupled with a 16-0 UNI
run in the second half proved to be too much for the Drake University
men’s basketball team to overcome as the Panthers defeated the Bulldogs,
85-55. Richard Carter scored 16 points on
6-of-12 shooting, but the previously hot-shooting Bulldogs converted on
just 35.6 of their attempts in the loss. Deon Mitchell led UNI with 20
points to pace four Panthers in double-figures including Jake Koch with
16 points on near-perfect 7-of-8 shooting.
As a team, UNI converted on 60 percent of their shots and were shooting
above 70 percent from the field for the majority of the second half.
Last Week
Feb. 6 – Illinois State – L, 94-86
A late 16-point swing by Illinois State allowed the
Redbirds to sneak past the Drake University men’s basketball team,
94-86, in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup at the Knapp Center. A
6-0 Illinois State run that lasted 1:29 late in
the second half gave the Redbirds their first lead of the game, 85-84,
with 1:44 remaining in the game. Before that point, Drake had led the
entire game. The Bulldogs offense was stymied in the final three minutes
of the game by an effective Illinois state
press that allowed only two points during that span while generating
offense for the Redbirds.
Feb. 10 – at Evansville – L(OT), 84-78
The Drake University men's basketball team dropped
an 84-78 overtime decision at Evansville in a back-and-forth contest
that featured 16 lead changes. Ben Simons led the Bulldogs with 27
points on 9-of-12 shooting and a 5-of-7 night from
the three-point arc. Senior Jordan Clarke added another solid game for
the Bulldogs with his second straight double-double via 10 points and 14
rebounds. Junior Richard Carter recorded 13 points and seven assists.
The Aces were paced by Colt Ryan's 33 points
on a night that saw the all-MVC performer record his 2,000th career
point while Ned Cox added 21 points.
[This story was written for Ron Maly by Ty Patton, Drake's assistant athletic director for communictions].
