# 2022–23 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Drake University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by fifth-year head coach Darian DeVries, played their home games at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). They finished the regular season 27–7, 15–5 in MVC play to finish in second place. In the MVC tournament, they defeated Murray State, Southern Illinois, and Bradley to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they were defeated by Miami (FL) in the first round.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2021–22 season 22–9, 13–5 in MVC play to finish in a tie for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the MVC tournament, they defeated Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals and Missouri State in the semifinals before losing to Loyola in the championship. The Bulldogs accepted an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational and earned the No. 1 overall seed. They defeated Purdue Fort Wayne in the first round before losing to UNC Wilmington in the quarterfinals.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Tremell Murphy | 2 | F | 6'6" | 210 | RS Senior | Griffith, IN | Graduated |
| ShanQuan Hemphill | 4 | F | 6'6" | 200 | Senior | Gary, IN | Graduated |
| Ayo Akinwole | 14 | G | 5'11" | 180 | Senior | Papillion, NE | Graduated |
| Jonah Jackson | 20 | G | 6'3" | 205 | Senior | Merrillville, IN | Graduated |
| Jordan Kwiecinski | 21 | F | 6'9" | 205 | Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Transferred to Eckerd College |
| Deven Dahlke | 41 | F | 6'2" | 188 | Sophomore | Phoenix, AZ | Transferred to San Diego |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Brashon Hall | 2 | G | 6'1" | 185 | Sophomore | Roswell, GA | Transferred from Voorhees |
| Sardaar Calhoun | 14 | G/F | 6'6" | 210 | Senior | Tappahannock, VA | Transferred from Texas Tech |
| Eric Northweather | 35 | F | 6'10" | 225 | Sophomore | Jefferson City, MO | Transferred from Truman State |

## Preseason

The Bulldogs were picked to finish first in the conference's preseason poll. Forward Tucker DeVries was named MVC Preseason Player of the Year and selected to the preseason All-MVC first team.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 3, 2022* 7:00 pm | | Minnesota Duluth | W 100–77 | | 35 – Calhoun | 15 – Brodie | 6 – Enright | Knapp Center (2,576) Des Moines, IA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2022* 7:00 pm, MC22 | | IUPUI | W 80–48 | 1–0 | 20 – DeVries | 8 – Tied | 4 – Enright | Knapp Center (2,845) Des Moines, IA |
| November 14, 2022* 7:00 pm, MC22 | | Wofford | W 80–72 | 2–0 | 17 – Calhoun | 9 – DeVries | 5 – Penn | Knapp Center (2,529) Des Moines, IA |
| November 18, 2022* 12:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | vs. Buffalo Paradise Jam Quarterfinals | W 80–72 | 3–0 | 22 – DeVries | 10 – Brodie | 6 – Penn | Sports and Fitness Center (1,524) Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands |
| November 20, 2022* 4:45 p.m, ESPN3 | | vs. Wyoming Paradise Jam Semifinals | W 61–56 | 4–0 | 29 – DeVries | 9 – Brodie | 3 – Enright | Sports and Fitness Center (1,224) Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands |
| November 21, 2022* 7:00 p.m, ESPN3 | | vs. Tarleton State Paradise Jam Championship | W 71–64 | 5–0 | 22 – DeVries | 11 – Sturtz | 3 – Tied | Sports and Fitness Center (1,424) Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands |
| November 26, 2022* 5:00 pm, MC22 | | Louisiana | W 76–64 | 6–0 | 21 – Tied | 11 – Brodie | 4 – DeVries | Knapp Center (2,810) Des Moines, IA |
| November 30, 2022 6:00 pm, MVC TV | | at Indiana State | L 73–75 | 6–1 (0–1) | 32 – Penn | 13 – Sturtz | 4 – Penn | Hulman Center (3,459) Terre Haute, IN |
| December 3, 2022 5:00 pm, MC22 | | UIC | W 77–64 | 7–1 (1–1) | 25 – DeVries | 6 – DeVries | 5 – Brodie | Knapp Center (2,860) Des Moines, IA |
| December 7, 2022* 7:00 pm, MC22 | | Omaha | W 78–65 | 8–1 | 18 – Brodie | 11 – Brodie | 4 – Penn | Knapp Center (2,702) Des Moines, IA |
| December 10, 2022* 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Richmond | L 52–82 | 8–2 | 17 – Calhoun | 8 – Brodie | 2 – Sturtz | Robins Center (6,447) Richmond, VA |
| December 17, 2022* 7:00 pm, BSMW | | at Saint Louis | L 75–83 | 8–3 | 15 – DeVries | 8 – Brodie | 7 – Penn | Chaifetz Arena (7,251) St. Louis, MO |
| December 20, 2022* 4:00 pm, BallerTV | | vs. No. 15 Mississippi State Battle in the Vault | W 58–52 | 9–3 | 19 – Penn | 9 – Sturtz | 3 – Tied | Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, NE |
| December 21, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | St. Ambrose | W 124–48 | 10–3 | 21 – Tied | 11 – DeVries | 5 – Wilkins | Knapp Center (783) Des Moines, IA |
| December 29, 2022 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | Valparaiso | W 68–63 | 11–3 (2–1) | 19 – Brodie | 9 – Brodie | 5 – Penn | Knapp Center (3,078) Des Moines, IA |
| January 1, 2023 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Missouri State | L 49–52 | 11–4 (2–2) | 20 – DeVries | 13 – Brodie | 8 – Penn | Great Southern Bank Arena (2,836) Springfield, MO |
| January 4, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Southern Illinois | L 49–53 | 11–5 (2–3) | 14 – Wilkins | 10 – Brodie | 7 – Penn | Banterra Center (4,479) Carbondale, IL |
| January 7, 2023 5:00 pm, ESPNU | | Murray State | W 82–64 | 12–5 (3–3) | 17 – Wilkins | 11 – Sturtz | 4 – Tied | Knapp Center (3,510) Des Moines, IA |
| January 10, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at UIC | W 76–71 $^{OT}$ | 13–5 (4–3) | 15 – Tied | 10 – Sturtz | 8 – Penn | Credit Union 1 Arena (1,778) Chicago, IL |
| January 14, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Bradley | W 86–61 | 14–5 (5–3) | 28 – DeVries | 10 – Penn | 7 – Penn | Knapp Center (4,144) Des Moines, IA |
| January 18, 2023 7:00 pm, MVC TV | | Missouri State | L 62–65 $^{OT}$ | 14–6 (5–4) | 26 – DeVries | 7 – Penn | 2 – Penn | Knapp Center (2,518) Des Moines, IA |
| January 21, 2023 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Evansville | W 97–61 | 15–6 (6–4) | 23 – DeVries | 11 – Sturtz | 18 – Penn | Ford Center (4,404) Evansville, IN |
| January 24, 2023 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | Indiana State | W 70–68 | 16–6 (7–4) | 21 – DeVries | 10 – Sturtz | 3 – Tied | Knapp Center (4,019) Des Moines, IA |
| January 29, 2023 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Belmont | W 79–61 | 17–6 (8–4) | 16 – Tied | 7 – Ferguson | 7 – Penn | Curb Event Center (2,661) Nashville, TN |
| February 1, 2023 8:00 pm, MVC TV | | Northern Iowa | W 88–81 $^{2OT}$ | 18–6 (9–4) | 28 – Penn | 13 – Sturtz | 6 – Penn | Knapp Center (6,229) Des Moines, IA |
| February 4, 2023 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Valparaiso | W 85–82 $^{2OT}$ | 19–6 (10–4) | 32 – DeVries | 12 – Penn | 6 – Penn | Athletics–Recreation Center (3,137) Valparaiso, IN |
| February 7, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Murray State | W 92–68 | 20–6 (11–4) | 32 – DeVries | 11 – Sturtz | 3 – Tied | CFSB Center (5,307) Murray, KY |
| February 11, 2023 1:00 pm, ESPNU | | Southern Illinois | W 82–59 | 21–6 (12–4) | 21 – Penn | 11 – Brodie | 8 – Penn | Knapp Center (4,839) Des Moines, IA |
| February 15, 2023 8:00 pm, MVC TV | | at Northern Iowa | W 82–74 | 22–6 (13–4) | 19 – DeVries | 8 – Brodie | 9 – Penn | McLeod Center (4,469) Cedar Falls, IA |
| February 19, 2023 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | Belmont | W 70–56 | 23–6 (14–4) | 22 – Penn | 9 – Brodie | 4 – Penn | Knapp Center (4,753) Des Moines, IA |
| February 22, 2023 7:00 pm, MC22 | | Illinois State | W 82–51 | 24–6 (15–4) | 18 – DeVries | 7 – Tied | 4 – Enright | Knapp Center (3,818) Des Moines, IA |
| February 26, 2023 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Bradley | L 61–73 | 24–7 (15–5) | 14 – Wilkins | 6 – Penn | 5 – Penn | Carver Arena (10,458) Peoria, IL |
| MVC Tournament |||||||||
| March 3, 2023 6:00 pm, MVC TV | (2) | vs. (7) Murray State Quarterfinals | W 74–62 | 25–7 | 27 – DeVries | 6 – Ferguson | 10 – Penn | Enterprise Center (7,049) St. Louis, MO |
| March 4, 2023 5:00 pm, CBSSN | (2) | vs. (3) Southern Illinois Semifinals | W 65–52 | 26–7 | 16 – Penn | 17 – Brodie | 5 – Penn | Enterprise Center (8,483) St. Louis, MO |
| March 5, 2023 1:00 pm, CBS | (2) | vs. (1) Bradley Championship | W 77–51 | 27–7 | 22 – DeVries | 9 – Brodie | 6 – Penn | Enterprise Center (6,706) St. Louis, MO |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2023 6:25 pm, TBS | (12 MW) | vs. (5 MW) No. 16 Miami (FL) First Round | L 56–63 | 27–8 | 20 – Brodie | 9 – Brodie | 7 – Penn | MVP Arena (13,989) Albany, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |