The Drake men’s basketball team is heading to the 2025 NCAA Tournament after winning the Missouri Valley Conference. In the MVC Tourney, it defeated Southern Illinois 70-53, Belmont 57-50, and Bradley 63-48 in the title game.
The Bulldogs are 30-3 overall and on a seven-game winning streak. This is their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Drake NCAA Tournament Appearances
Drake basketball is making its eighth appearance in the Division 1 NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs have reached the tourney in 1969, 1970, 1971, 2008, 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
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Drake Basketball NCAA Tournament Wins
Drake has won six games in the Division 1 NCAA Tournament. Its last win was in 2021, beating Wichita State 53–52.
The Bulldogs also picked up wins in 1971 (79–72 over Notre Dame), 1970 (92–87 over Houston), and 1969 (81–63 over Texas A&M, 84–77 over Colorado State, 104–84 over North Carolina).
Drake Sweet 16 Appearances
The Drake basketball team has reached the Sweet 16 three times in 1969, 1970, and 1971.
Drake Basketball Coach Ben McCollum Salary
Ben McCollum’s annual salary at Drake is not known due to Drake being a private school. His salary at Northwest Missouri State was more than $275,000 annually.
McCollum was hired as Drake’s head basketball coach in 2024. He arrived from Division 2 Northwest Missouri State, where he was the head coach since 2009. Under McCollum, Northwest Missouri State won four D2 national championships in 2016-17, 2018–19, 2020–21, and 2021–22.
In his first season at Drake, McCollum was named the MVC Coach of the Year. McCollum joined 21 other coaches to win an MVC men’s basketball title in his first season in the conference. He’s the 14th first-year coach to win the league’s Coach of the Year award, which was first presented in 1949.
