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Will a veteran group, strong bench be enough for Drake men's basketball at Arch Madness?

alyssa hertel, des moines register
·4 min read

The Missouri Valley Conference’s postseason tournament — Arch Madness — kicks off on this week, and Drake men’s basketball is headed to St. Louis as the No. 2 seed.

That means the Bulldogs have a bye on the first day of competition and will face the winner of Thursday’s game between No. 7 Murray State — led by former Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm — and No. 10 Valparaiso.

Drake secured the second seed in the tournament with a 16-4 record in conference play and a 23-8 overall mark. The Bulldogs went on a 10-game win streak at the end of the season, which included two double overtime victories and four wins against three of the top five teams in the league.

Drake basketball coach Darian DeVries led the Bulldogs to the No. 2 seed in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament with a 23-8 overall record and 16-4 performance in conference play.
Drake basketball coach Darian DeVries led the Bulldogs to the No. 2 seed in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament with a 23-8 overall record and 16-4 performance in conference play.

But Bradley snapped that win streak — and simultaneously secured the MVC regular season title and the top slot in the tournament — on Sunday. The Braves handed Drake a 73-61 loss on the road to finish out the regular season.

But that disappointing end is in the rearview mirror now.

“Everybody’s getting ready for a conference tournament,” said coach Darian DeVries. “Everybody gets a clean slate.”

Will Drake’s veteran group finally come out on top?

For the first time since the 2019-20 season, D.J. Wilkins and Roman Penn will play in the conference tournament together.

More:Drake basketball guard Roman Penn gets assists on the court and in the shopping cart

Penn missed the 2020-21 postseason with a foot injury and Wilkins was absent last year after tearing his ACL in the regular season finale. This is the time of year when Drake seems most cursed, with the Bulldogs struggling to send a healthy roster to St. Louis.

More:D.J. Wilkins leaves a legacy with Drake basketball, in more ways than one

That doesn’t seem to be the case this year.

“I’ve got them in bubble wrap until Friday,” DeVries joked.

D.J. Wilkins (0) missed Arch Madness after suffering a torn ACL in the regular season finale last season.
D.J. Wilkins (0) missed Arch Madness after suffering a torn ACL in the regular season finale last season.

For Drake to have all those pieces is important, but the Bulldogs also boast one of the most experienced lineups when it comes to depth in Arch Madness. All five of Drake’s starters have played in at least one conference championship game; Garrett Sturtz and Darnell Brodie have been in two.

“Unfortunately, we’ve came up a little bit short in back-to-back years,” DeVries said. “But I do think that experience will come into play in some form, and hopefully it’s enough to get us some wins.”

Drake's bench could be the deciding factor

Drake’s starting five have found success all season.

But the Bulldogs’ best basketball usually happens when the bench gives them a boost. Drake is undefeated in conference play when the bench scores 10 or more points. When opponents hold back the bench, though, that’s when the Bulldogs seem to struggle.

More:Roman Penn, Bulldogs bench help lead Drake basketball's resurgence to top of MVC

In Drake’s five conference losses, the bench was held to 8 or fewer points. Bradley allowed just 2 points by the reserves — from Nate Ferguson — in the regular season finale.

It’s no surprise that depth is important, especially with the potential to play three games in as many days.

Sardaar Calhoun (14) is one of Drake's contributors off the bench and was selected to the MVC's All-Bench team.
Sardaar Calhoun (14) is one of Drake's contributors off the bench and was selected to the MVC's All-Bench team.

“Our main group of five that [sic] started the majority of the year, I think we’ll kind of get what we’re gonna get,” said sophomore guard Tucker DeVries. “When our bench plays well, they bring a lot of energy. In these last 10 games, we’ve had a deep team that’s made a lot of plays.

“You can lean on a bunch of different guys like Sardaar (Calhoun), Conor (Enright). Nate (Ferguson) stepped up, and Okay (Djamgouz) has made a lot of shots. You just never know which night one of those guys is going to step up.”

UNI’s time in the tournament begins on Thursday

While Drake will not play until Friday, its in-state rival from out east Northern Iowa will have a game Thursday. The 8-seeded Panthers (13-17, 9-11 MVC) kick off Arch Madness with a matchup against 9-seeded Illinois State (11-20, 6-14 MVC).

UNI swept the Redbirds in regular season competition, but both games were close decisions. The Panthers held off a second-half surge from Illinois State on the road for a 66-60 win, and then edged out the Redbirds for a 65-63 win at the McLeod Center.

Should UNI advance, the Panthers will face top-seeded Bradley (23-8, 16-4 MVC) on Friday, March 3 at noon.

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: D.J. Wilkins, Roman Penn to lead Drake basketball at MVC tournament