After securing the 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular-season championship, Drake double-dipped en route to securing a third consecutive league tournament title. The Bulldogs punched their ticket to this year's NCAA Tournament with a 63-48 victory over Bradley.
Drake received the MVC's automatic March Madness bid by taking down Bradley with a dominant second-half performance. The Bulldogs outscored the Braves 32-21 in the final frame, thanks to a strong showing from the conference's Player of the Year, Bennett Stirtz. The junior guard was scoring at will and doing so efficiently, getting to the free throw line often.
The Bulldogs have thrived under first-year head coach Ben McCollum and are headed to their third straight Big Dance because of the team's outstanding efforts. However, they ostensibly hope a new leader translates to better results this time following back-to-back first-round exits.
DRAKE IS DANCING AGAIN 🪩
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 9, 2025
The Bulldogs win the MVC and book themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year 🔥 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/taepVe4A18
With the Bulldogs' story continuing, let's learn more about the ascending mid-major college basketball program.
Where is Drake University?
According to the school's official website, Drake University is a small, private school in Des Moines, Iowa, with approximately 5,000 students enrolled. A dozen of said scholars form the Bulldogs men's hoops squad, headlined by Stirtz, a former Division II standout at Northwest Missouri State.
Drake NCAA Tournament history
Year | Seed | Region | Round Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|
1969 | N/A | Midwest | Final Four |
1970 | N/A | Midwest | Regional Final |
1971 | N/A | Midwest | Regional Final |
2008 | 5 | West | Round of 64 |
2021 | 11 | West | Round of 64 |
2023 | 12 | Midwest | Round of 64 |
2024 | 10 | East | Round of 64 |
2025 | TBD | East | TBD |
As mentioned, Drake has been eliminated in the Round of 64 in the past two NCAA tournaments -- and their last four appearances overall. The Bulldogs' most recent March Madness win came in 2021, but it was a First Four matchup.
Drake's highest March Madness ranking came in 2008 when they were fifth in the West Region. 1971 marks the Bulldogs' last time making it past the first round -- over half a century ago -- before seeding was introduced in 1979.
In 1969, Drake made its lone Final Four run. However, they ran into a dynastic UCLA squad led by legendary head coach John Wooden and basketball icon/NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Bulldogs put up a good fight, falling 85-82, as the Bruins won their third of seven straight national championships.
Drake bracketology update
Joe Lunardi of ESPN's latest bracketology update has Drake as the No. 12 seed in the East Region. They're tentatively slated to face No. 5 BYU. Similarly to the Bulldogs, the Cougars have been a formidable unit under their new sideline chief, Kevin Young.
BYU versus Drake makes for an intriguing potential clash. The Cougars are one of the country's premier scoring teams, finishing the 2024-25 regular season with the 17th-best offensive rating. Conversely, the Bulldogs are 17th in defense, meaning something would have to give.