Right back at it against a good opponent in Drake on Monday.
Drake really doesn't have a marquee win this year. #99 Richmond looked good at the time but they've fallen apart a bit. Their 2nd and 3rd best wins by KenPom are #200 Illinois State and #202 Valpo. They don't have a bad loss on their resume though playing a tough non-conference schedule. Their "worst" loss by KenPom is #72 North Texas.
Meet the Bulldogs:
Drake was the surprise team in the Valley last season improving from a 20-14 (8-10) team in Darian DeVries' second year to a 26-5 (15-3) team in his third year. The Bulldogs did this despite injuries to Roman Penn and Tank Hemphill. This season, Drake came in as the Valley favorites according to the preseason media poll. The Bulldogs brought back basically their entire roster besides Joe Yesufu who transferred to Kansas. Drake is 32nd in the country in minutes continuity from last season (72.8%) and 39th in the country in experience (2.45 years).
On the offensive side, Drake has been just as impressive as they were last season. The Bulldogs are 85th in the country in effective field goal % (52.5%), 73rd in the country in 3 point % (35.6%), and 103rd in the country in 2 point % (51.9%). They've also been very good at taking care of the basketball as they're 53rd in the country in turnover % on the offensive end (16.7%) and 113rd in the country in steal % on the offensive end (8.8%). One thing that might give SIU fits is Drake is 91st in the country in offensive rebounding % (31.3%). If Drake struggles at something on offense, it's the fact that they don't get to the free throw line at a high rate. The Bulldogs are 241st in the country in free throw attempts per field goal attempts (28.0%).
Drake's taken a bit of a step back on the defensive side from last season but they've still been a good defensive team. The Bulldogs are 144th in the country in effective field goal % against (48.9%) and 86th in the country in 2 point % against (47.4%). The Bulldogs have struggled against 3's this year as they're 225th in the country in 3 point % against (34.3%). Teams have been able to get to the free throw line at a high rate against Drake as they're 257th in the country in free throw attempts per field goal attempts on the defensive end (33.3%).
The Bulldogs' leading scorer is 6'7 Freshman Tucker DeVries averaging 13.2 points per game. DeVries was a 4 star recruit out of Waukee, Iowa and chose to play for his father at Drake over offers from Creighton, Florida, and Iowa State. Despite all the returning talent on Drake, DeVries has come in and has been the focal point of their offense. The likely runaway MVC Freshman of the Year is 177th in the country in shot % when he's on the floor (28.2%) and 424th in the country in possession % when he's on the floor (24.3%). DeVries has struggled a bit with his shot but gets up a bunch of 3's, he's 36-98 from 3 this season (36.7%). DeVries has been really good at taking care of the ball as he's 97th in the country in turnover rate (9.5%). He's also 452nd in the country in block % on the defensive end (2.8%). Note: DeVries did leave the last game with what looked to be an ankle injury so it's possible he sits this one out.
Drake's leading rebounder is 6'3 Senior Garrett Sturtz averaging 7.0 rebounds per game. Sturtz has been a staple off the bench for Drake the last 3 seasons and was named to the All-MVC Bench teams in his Sophomore and Junior seasons. This season Sturtz has taken a big step up on the offensive end. Sturtz is 75th in the country in effective field goal % (61.8%), 55th in the country in true shooting % (65.1%), and 85th in the country in 2 point shooting % (64.8%). Strutz is also 189th in the country in defensive rebounding % (21.2%) and 279th in the country in offensive rebounding % (9.4%). Strutz has also been great about taking care of the ball as he's 49th in the country in turnover rate on the offensive end (7.9%). He's also very good at getting to the free throw line (385th in the country in free throw rate) and making his free throws (29-36, 80.6%).
The Bulldogs' second leading scorer is 6'0 Senior Roman Penn averaging 10.3 points per game. Penn started his collegiate career at Siena where he started 19 games in his Freshman season. In his first season at Drake, Penn was named to the MVC All-Newcomer team and All-MVC third team averaging 12 points per game and 5.6 assists per game. Last season, Penn was named to the All-MVC First Team but had his season cut short due to injury. This season, Penn suffered a fracture in his foot on December 2nd against Valpo but has since returned and is playing about 25 minutes per game since the injury. Penn is 91st in the country in assist rate (29.3%) and 391st in the country in 2 point % (56.9%).
6'6 Senior Tank Hemphill was Drake's big breakout star last season. Hemphill spent his first two seasons at Green Bay before transferring to Drake. Last season, Hemphill was a big part of Drake's NCAA Tournament season and was named to the All-MVC Second Team, All-Newcomer team, and All-Defensive teams. He started 20 games last year before suffering a foot injury but returned for the NCAA Tournament. This season, Hemphill has taken a bit of a step back but he's still one of their key pieces. Hemphill is 285th in the country in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (4.7) and 412nd in the country in offensive rebounding % (8.2%). Note: Hemphill missed Drake's last game with an undisclosed injury.
6'10 Senior Darnell Brodie is 231st in the country in offensive rebounding % (10.0%) and 262nd in the country in defensive rebounding % (19.9%). Brodie was a 3 star recruit out of Putnam, CT and spent his first two seasons at Seton Hall before transferring to Drake.
Past full SIU/Drake games on YouTube:
2004:
12/6/13 SIU 75 Drake 66 (Road)
2005:
2006:
2007:
3/2 SIU 71 Drake 59 (MVC Tournament Quarterfinals)
2017:
1/18 Drake 88 SIU 84 OT (Road)
2020:
Links:
Bryan Mullins with Mike Reis pregame
Mike Reis interview with Foster Wonders just came out:
Mike Reis interview with Foster Wonders just came out:
Good interview. Wonders says all the right things. He claims he is happy and has come to terms with the redshirt. Says he thinks in the long run it is the best thing for him. I have confidence he and Ebube are developing and will both be solid contributors next year. This could still end up as a very good recruiting class with D'Amico. This team could be elite in 2 years if Domask and Jones choose to use their extra covid year!
Tank Hemphill is out tonight and Tucker DeVries is questionable for Drake
Sounds like Ben Harvey is going to be down again for awhile after his bout with COVID
Tank Hemphill is out tonight and Tucker DeVries is questionable for Drake
That's a break for us. What is your source? The Drake Nation Board said they hadn't gotten any word on player status as of yet.
Hemphill is always a tough matchup for us with his athleticism and leaping ability. DeVries and Murphy are also tough matchups for us. Would be nice if DeVries was out too.
Tank Hemphill is out tonight and Tucker DeVries is questionable for Drake
That's a break for us. What is your source? The Drake Nation Board said they hadn't gotten any word on player status as of yet.
Hemphill is always a tough matchup for us with his athleticism and leaping ability. DeVries and Murphy are also tough matchups for us. Would be nice if DeVries was out too.
https://twitter.com/drakedawgs/status/1483110235292291072
Coaches spoke with the media today so guessing it was announced there
Damn! Rather beat em at full strength! Go Dawgs!
I don't care how we beat them. this team needs a win--period.
SIU is gonna win tonight. Book it!!
(but they pretty much have to).
We really need this one, but then we need every one. There is not going to be any easy MVC games for us whether home or on the road. I just hate the whole Covid effect on scheduling, availability, etc. It just really messes everything up so much that you can't really count on anything from game to game. We are in season three but since now two of those have been seriously affected by this I think it is really hard to make any judgements on where we truly are. For me I am just taking it one game at a time without any pre-conceived ideas or expectations. I am happy with the continuous effort and seeing improvement in areas and trust that the staff sees the things that they can do improve on a regular basis. Love the pretty good crowds and fan support. We have a ways to go but I have faith we are going to get there, just wish we could have an actual "normal" season.
Mike Reis interview with Foster Wonders just came out:
Good interview. Wonders says all the right things. He claims he is happy and has come to terms with the redshirt. Says he thinks in the long run it is the best thing for him. I have confidence he and Ebube are developing and will both be solid contributors next year. This could still end up as a very good recruiting class with D'Amico. This team could be elite in 2 years if Domask and Jones choose to use their extra covid year!
He is a very soft-spoken, a mild-mannered Clark Kent. Reis tried to make a joke about his last name by asking, "If I would have started this interview by saying 'I wonder what Foster Wonders thinks about being red-shirted'? Much to his credit, Wonders wouldn't have any of it. Even when Reis said, "I bet you have heard them all. Just for future reference, are there any you wouldn't want me to use?" Foster just said no, he didn't mind them, that the guys on the team call him Fostie. Looking forward to this guy representing SIU the next 4 years.
