The Bulldogs made their second consecutive appearance in the men’s NCAA Tournament after winning the Missouri Valley Conference championship for the second year in a row. As the No. 10 seed team, Drake faced off against the seventh-seeded Washington State Cougars in Omaha, Nebraska, hoping to win their first game within the Round of 64 since 1971.
Head coach Darian DeVries started graduate student Darnell Brodie at forward, first-year Kevin Overton at guard, sophomore Conor Enright at guard, junior Tucker DeVries at guard and junior Atin Wright at guard.
Drake finished the first half down 33-29 but were able to turn the score in their favor in the second half, at one point they led 54-46 with 7:53 left in the second half. However, Washington State soon retook a 61-59 lead and kept that lead until they won 66-61.
Drake’s top performers from the game included Wright, who scored 20 points with two rebounds and one assist; DeVries, who scored 14 points with six assists and three rebounds; and Brodie, who scored 13 points with nine rebounds and two assists.
As a team, the Bulldogs shot 42% from the field, 33% from beyond the arc and 43% from the free-throw line. They scored 26 points in the paint but ended with 21 total team fouls, including Brodie and Enright both fouling out of the game in the second half.
After the game, Darian DeVries was asked about the last seven and half minutes of the game, in which the Bulldogs offense only put up two field goals.
“I was disappointed,” DeVries said. “I thought we had really found a nice rhythm there, gotten up eight and felt like we were starting to take control of the game. Maybe one of those goes down and we’re in a good spot, but it didn’t happen.”
He was also asked about Brodie, who fouled out of the game with 2:26 remaining.
“That was tough for us,” DeVries said. “With their size and physicality, having Brodie out there is certainly helpful, so I thought down the stretch we could have really used him, especially on the defensive end.”
Brodie, who played his last game for Drake, was asked after the game about his overall career.
“My years here at Drake have been absolutely amazing,” Brodie said. “I’m thankful for my coaches and teammates for believing in me and for how far I came and them putting their trust in me and helping me get to where I’m at.”
The Bulldogs had a successful 2023-2024 season leading up to March Madness. They finished second overall in the MVC with a record of 25-6, only behind the Indiana State Sycamores. In the MVC tournament championship game, the Bulldogs defeated the Sycamores to secure their second consecutive MVC title. They also recorded their sixth straight season with 20 wins.
In addition, Tucker DeVries was named the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. DeVries is only the 11th player to earn the award twice and the ninth to do it in back-to-back seasons.
