Who is Bennett Stirtz? The Missouri native is helping Drake stay undefeated

For the second time in its 118-year history, the Drake men’s basketball team made it through mid-December undefeated.

The Bulldogs won their 10th straight game yesterday with a 73-70 overtime victory over Kansas State at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Drake was led by guard Mitch Mascari, who finished the game with 25 points and shot 8 of 10 from three-point range.

Drake is one of four undefeated Division I teams (Florida, Oklahoma and Tennessee are the others). The Bulldogs improved to 5-0 in away games (4-0 neutral site, 1-0 away).

With much of the attention focused on other public schools, Drake is often overlooked through no fault of his own. But with impressive wins in non-conference games against Miami (Florida), Vanderbilt and now Kansas State, the Bulldogs are starting to make a case for a national ranking entering the third month of the season.

When was the last time the Drake men’s basketball team started the season 10-0?

During a season marked by restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Drake won a school-record 18 straight games to begin the 2020–21 season.

Drake cracked the AP Top 25 during that stretch before losing its first game of the season to Valparaiso. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with 24 wins, set a school record with 15 Missouri Valley Conference wins and made it to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for the first time in 13 years.

The Bulldogs’ season ended with a first-round loss to USC, but the team shed the burden of 50 years of history with a First Four victory over Wichita State, the program’s first March Madness win since 1971.

Missouri native Bennett Stirtz wins for Drake in overtime

In Drake’s most recent game, junior guard Bennett Stirtz clinched the game for the Bulldogs by hitting a three-pointer with four seconds left in overtime.

Stirtz, a native of Liberty, Missouri, and a lifelong K-State fan, recorded 22 points, four assists and three steals during the contest.

“I used to be a K-State basketball fan,” Stirtz joked. “I still am, just not against Drake.”

He dreamed of playing basketball in Manhattan, but the chance never came. He then played for current Drake head coach Ben McCollum at Northwest Missouri State, where he helped the Bearcats to a 40-4 record over the past two seasons.

More:Bennett Stirtz, a lifelong Kansas State fan, tells all about Drake basketball in the upcoming game

After McCollum got the job at Drake, Stirtz was one of four players from the Division II school he brought with him to Des Moines. Now Stirtz leads his team in points, assists and steals per game.

“I don’t get any division that I see and coach (McCollum) is probably one of the few coaches that believed in me,” Stirtz said. “It leaves a stone on my shoulder…I’m just showing other coaches that I can play at this level.”

Drake Men’s Basketball Schedule 2024-2025

November 4: vs. York College – S 93-41
November 10: vs. Stephen F. Austin – S 66-51
November 16: vs. Florida Gulf Coast – W 63-61
November 21: vs. Miami – W 80-69
November 22: vs. Florida Atlantic – W 75-63
November 24: vs. Vanderbilt – S 81-70
November 30: vs. Georgia Southern – W 61-47
December 5th: vs. Valparaiso – W 66-60
December 12: vs. Saint Ambrose – 90-35
December 17: vs. Kansas State – 73-70
December 21: vs. Green Bay –

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