The best All-American you've never heard of is about to become a March legend

The Drake Bulldogs are back in the March Madness mix after a dominant run through the Missouri Valley Conference, winning both the MVC regular season and tournament crowns.

It has been an impressive debut campaign for first-year head coach Ben McCollum, continuing Drake's track record of basketball excellence as a small private university in Des Moines, Iowa. This is the Bulldogs' third straight trip to the big dance.

Drake has lost in the Round of 64 each of the prior two seasons, but something feels different about the 2025 squad. I just can't put my finger on it.

Fine, that was a lie. I can put my finger on it, with "it" being their star point guard — Bennett Stirtz.

The talented junior arrived at Drake last autumn as a D-II transfer from Northwest Missouri State. Naturally, Stritz was not saddled with many expectations. Now he's an All-American in the eyes of college hoops reporter Andy Katz, with a prime opportunity to translate his success in the MVC to a much larger stage.

If ever there was a time for Drake to go on a deep run in March, this is it.

Drake is currently projected as a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, per ESPN's Joe Lunardi. Not too shabby for a mid-major most folks watching or reading probably haven't heard of. The Bulldogs will be underdogs by default, but Stirtz will almost always be the best player on the floor. That could give Drake an unexpected edge.

Bennett Stirtz, freshly minted All-American, has Drake on the Cinderella path in March Madness

Stirtz has been on an extended heater all season. The dude is a walking bucket, with a well-rounded skill set that has even caught the attention of NBA scouts. He is currently ranked No. 28 on the FanSided draft board, with a chance to vault fully into the first round conversation with a dominant tourney performance.

Across 33 games with Drake, Stirtz has averaged 19.1 points (a MVC high), 4.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.2 steals (also a MVC high) on impressive 60.5 percent true shooting. He's hitting 38.6 percent of his 3s and Drake's offensive rating with Stirtz on the floor (131.1) leads the conference.

Y'all. This dude rocks. There aren't many more entertaining players in college basketball right now. It's a shame that Drake tends to get buried on the national TV schedule, but that's what March is all about. He will get to showcase his talents in front of an international audience this month. Right now, if ESPN's Bracketology projections we made true, the Bulldogs would face Gonzaga. What better way for Stirtz to prove his mettle than a dominant performance against Mark Few and a Zags team with a rich postseason history? Just get excited. There are countless potential matchups worth hyping up.

Stirtz is a 6-foot-5 point guard with all the traits of a college star (and plenty of attributes that NBA fans should be circling). He's not a great athlete, but Stirtz has skill and creativity for days. His footwork and ball-handling cadences are impossible to stay in front of. He won't blow past defenders or overpower them with strength; he's just going to shake them out of their shoes, deploying stop-start, herky-jerky handles and a robust package of side-steps and step-backs. He doesn't need much space to get a shot off, and Stirtz is a master of generating little scoring pockets from scratch.

He isn't an on-ball stopper defensively, but Stirtz's hands are all over the place. He competes exceedingly hard and has great instincts for picking the pockets of unsuspecting ball-handlers. Stirtz will get the job done on both ends, and he carries himself with a fire that is bound to capture the viewers at home this March.

You can bet that Drake will be advancing at least a round or two on my bracket. Maybe even deeper. This is a special unit, led by a special star with all the hallmarks of a March Madness darling. Buy your stock now.