#3 seed Texas Tech is set to play #11 seed Drake in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night in Wichita, Kansas.
The Bulldogs enter the game with a 31-3 record including 17-3 in conference play. Notably, Drake also defeated Big 12 foe Kansas State 73-70 in mid December.
They took care of #6 seed Missouri 67-57 in the First Round to advance.
Drake has made the NCAA Tournament eight times in school history. This appearance is their fourth since 2021, having made it every year since with the exception of 2022. Their longest run in the tournament was in 1969 when they made it to the Final Four before losing to eventual national champion UCLA.
To learn more about Drake we caught up with Justin Miller, host of The Media Row Podcast for the latest on all things Bulldogs.
Check out The Media Row Podcast on Twitter at @MediaRowPod.
First year coaches don’t usually come in and win 30+ games right away. What’s allowed Ben McCollum to immediately continue the success Drake had under former coach Darian DeVeries?
“Coach McCollum’s success stems from him bringing over the guys he had been around for years and knew could compete at a D1 level. These players have been with McCollum for years so there’s no learning curves or anything for both the Coach and his players.”
Drake is led by Bennett Stirtz at over 19 points per game. What allows him to be such a good scorer? Describe his game and what Texas Tech fans should expect to see from Stirtz on Saturday night. If you were Grant McCasland, how would you try to limit his effectiveness?
“Stirtz is so dynamic. He’s a great passer, his decision making is some of the best I’ve seen and then on top of that he has the ability to takeover a game at any moment. He can drive downhill and attack defenders or he can step back and drain just about any shot. I also admire how he is always calm. You can tell he’s constantly analyzing. He never gets too high or low. In terms of stopping Stirtz there really is no way to stop him. Defenses just have to find ways to limit him. In the two regular season games v Bradley, the Braves were the only ones to hold Stirtz to under 10 points and they were able to do that by really changing the look of their defenses on nearly every possession while also really forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly because like I said if you allow him to analyze your defense he’s going to find a weakness. Missouri changed who was guarding him very frequently last night and he still was able to adjust.”
What, if anything, did Drake struggle with this season that you think Texas Tech could take advantage of?
“Drake plays about 7-8 guys usually so I think this team struggled at times with consistency from the other players not named Bennett Stirtz. And Jr. Forward Tavion Banks has been the most consistent offensive player next to Stirtz and he came off the bench and rightfully so won MVC 6th man of the year. I swear on any other team he’s a starter. But outside of those two Drake hasn’t had a consistent scorer or someone who could take over if Stirtz and Banks are having an off day. Mitch Mascari is a great shooter but has gone through a little bit of a cold spell shooting 1-13 from beyond the arc in the three games in St. Louis.”
Anything else Texas Tech fans should know about Drake? Their play style, other key players or anything else of note?
“I’m sure TTU fans have watched and heard how Drake plays slow, which they do but it’s done with a purpose because this team is all about efficiency. Everyone on this team has a great basketball IQ and it’s a credit to McCollum and his staff. This team wears down defenses because it makes them play longer on defense to then get hounded by the Bulldogs top defense. Much like Stirtz this team analyzes everything so they take their time to learn and see where a defense has a weakness and then they exploit it.
Other key players would be true Freshman Isaia Howard who has really found his purpose on this team and while he’s a confident shooter he burns teams with his incredible athleticism.”
How's Drake health wise going into the game? Any notable injuries or guys worth monitoring for game time decisions?
“No injuries. Bennett tore his sock last night when he made that incredible one legged three pointer but he told me he has extra. Everyone will be ready.”
Drake wins if ... happens? Drake loses if ... happens?
“Drake wins if they can control the pace. Missouri is a team that wanted to get out and run and the Bulldogs were making everything difficult slowing them down and making them frustrated. If Drake controls the speed of the game most teams are in danger because it’s such a demanding style.”
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