TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Sycamores look to stay perfect at home Wednesday night when they open Missouri Valley action by hosting the undefeated Drake Bulldogs in a 7 p.m. tip on ESPN3. Under head coach Josh Schertz, the Sycamores are 0-2 against Drake and 0-1 in Valley openers.
 
ISU is coming off a 105-68 win against Trinity Christian College this past Sunday. Freshman Robbie Avila made his first collegiate start in the game and posted his first career double-double with a career-high 16 points and 11 rebounds.
 
After Thursday's game, the Sycamores will head out on a four-game road stint that includes trips to Miami Ohio, Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, and Duquesne.

BLEDSON NAMED TO GCS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Xaiver Bledson was named to the Gulf Coast Showcase All-Tournament as he helped the Sycamores to a 2-1 record for third place in the tournament with wins over East Carolina and Drexel. He led ISU in scoring through the three games with 15.7 points per game off the bench and posted a career-high 22 points against Drexel.
 
ALL EYES ON VOSS
The Watch List for the 2022-23 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award was announced Tuesday, Nov. 22, and senior transfer Courvoisier McCauley appeared on the list. The award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in division I college basketball, honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.

SERIES HISTORY
Drake leads the all-time series, 48-47, dating back to 1945. The Bulldogs, however, have taken the last nine of 10 meetings and last four straight.
 
ISU's last win in the series came on a buzzer-beater back on Jan. 29, 2020 at home by a score of 58-56.

LAST GAME AGAINST THE BULLDOGS (FULL RECAP)
The Sycamores struggled shooting in the second half as they dropped their last contest against Drake, 74-58, on the road on Feb. 21, 2022.
 
ISU shot just 25 percent in the second half after shooting 43 percent from the field and 53 percent from behind the arc in the first half.
 
Cameron Henry finished the game with 17 points and three rebounds while Kailex Stephens scored 16 and grabbed six boards. Cooper Neese finished with 11 but shot just 3-for-13 from the field. D.J. Wilkins led Drake with 17 while Tucker DeVries added 14.

DRAKE AT A GLANCE
Drake was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in 2022-23, earning 52 of 54 first-place votes in the MVC Preseason Poll.
 
Entering Monday, Nov. 28, Drake is one of just 20 remaining undefeated teams in NCAA DI college basketball.
 
The Bulldogs are coming off a 76-64 win against the previously undefeated Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Saturday night. Tucker DeVries and D.J. Wilkins each scored 21 points in the win and Darnell Brodie posted season highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Drake won the Paradise Jam with wins over Buffalo, Wyoming, and Tarleton State.
 
Tucker DeVries leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 21.7 points per game, and he averages 6.0 boards per game behind Darnell Brodie with 7.5 rebounds per game.

LAST TIME OUT
True freshman Robbie Avila made his first collegiate start Sunday afternoon and recorded his first career double-double to help the Sycamores to a 105-68 win over the visiting Trinity Trolls at the Hulman Center.
 
Avila posted a career-high and tied team-high 16 points alongside a career-high and game-high 11 rebounds. Kailex Stephens also put up 16 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting clip from the field beside a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Stephens was just two boards shy of a double-double of his own.
 
Four other Sycamores scored in double-figures including Xavier Bledson (14), Trenton Gibson (13), Julian Larry (13), and Cooper Neese (10).

FOLLOW THE SYCAMORES
For the latest information on Sycamore Basketball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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