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Drake vs. Washington State: What to know about the Bulldogs' NCAA Tournament opponent

Drake vs. Washington State: What to know about the Bulldogs' NCAA Tournament opponent
RIGHT NOW, AND TONIGHT. THE BRACKETS ARE SET IN MARCH. MADNESS IS IN FULL SWING. THIS IS THE MOMENT FIVE IOWA TEAMS LEARNED THEIR DESTINATIONS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. IT HAS BEEN A BUSY SELECTION NIGHT. WE WANT TO START WITH vlog SPORTS DIRECTOR SCOTT REISTER TO BREAK IT ALL DOWN FOR US. SCOTT TODD, WE GOT IT RIGHT HERE. HOT OFF THE PRESS, THE BRACKETS, THE MEN’S, THE WOMEN’S. LOTS OF INFO FOR YOU AND LET’S START WITH THE IOWA STATE MEN. THEY KNEW BY ALL ACCOUNTS THEY’D GET TO OPEN TOURNAMENT PLAY IN OMAHA. WHAT THEY DIDN’T KNOW IS WHETHER THERE WOULD BE A ONE OR A TWO NEXT TO THEIR NAME. THEY DIDN’T GET THAT ONE. SEED WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST IN SCHOOL HISTORY, BUT A TWO SEED, AN INCREDIBLE FEAT, HADN’T BEEN A TWO SINCE 2001. THE BIG 12 TOURNAMENT CHAMPS JUST HAD THREE STRAIGHT BLOWOUT WINS IN CASEY THERE IN THE EAST REGION. AND IT’S ALL ABOUT OMAHA FOR BASKETBALL FANS OF BOTH IOWA STATE AND DRAKE. CHECK THIS OUT. TJ ALTENBERGER IS GOING TO TAKE ON HIS FORMER TEAM, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE. HIS FIRST HEAD COACHING STOP THURSDAY. 635 ON TRU TV. WINNER WILL GET THE WINNER OF THAT LATE GAME IN OMAHA. DRAKE AND WASHINGTON STATE. THE DRAKE. THAT’S A LOOK AT DRAKE AS THEY SAW THEIR NAME ON THE SCREEN. BACK IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR PLAYING IN OMAHA AND POSSIBLY EVEN FACING IOWA STATE IN ROUND TWO. IF DRAKE OR IOWA STATE WINS TWICE IN OMAHA, THEIR NEXT STOP WOULD BE BOSTON. UCONN IS THE TOP SEED IN THE EAST REGION. THE HAWKEYE WOMEN, AS EXPECTED, THE NUMBER ONE SEED. BUT IT DIDN’T MAKE IT ANY LESS SWEET. CAITLIN KIRK AND COMPANY OUT OF THEIR SEATS CHEERING. THEY ARE IN THE ALBANY TWO REGION. THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPS WENT 29 AND FOUR, MAKING THE FINAL FOUR IN CLEVELAND IS GOING TO BE HARD. THEIR REGION HAS THE TWO SEED, UCLA AND THE THREE SEED IS THE DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS, LSU. THOSE GAMES WHERE THEY START WILL BE IOWA CITY. WE DON’T KNOW TIMES OF THE WOMEN’S GAMES YET, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THE IOWA WOMEN WILL BE PLAYING ON SATURDAY AND MONDAY. HERE’S CAITLIN CLARK ON TWO MORE GAMES FOR HER HAWKEYES ON OUR HOME COURT. REALLY FORTUNATE AND LUCKY AND KIND OF KNOWING, YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME I TAKE THE COURT COULD BE MY LAST. AND, YOU KNOW, SOAKING THAT IN AND GOING OUT THERE AND PLAYING MY HEART OUT. BUT ANY TIME YOU GET TO HOST IS A HUGE ADVANTAGE. AND I EXPECT OUR FANS TO TRAVEL REALLY WELL. IF WE CAN ADVANCE OUT OFF OF OUR TWO GAMES HERE, OFF OUR HOME COURT. SO, UM, YEAH, I THINK MORE THAN ANYTHING I’M JUST EXCITED AND GOING TO TRY TO SOAK IN THE MOMENT. AND I KNOW THAT TICKETS ARE GOING TO BE HARD TO COME BY. YES, THEY WILL. CYCLONE WOMEN BACK IN THE DANCE FOR THE FIFTH STRAIGHT YEAR AND THE 15TH IN THE PAST 17 LOVE THE KIDS DANCING. THEY MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE BIG 12 TOURNAMENT FINAL AND THEY GOT A SEVEN SEED IN THE PORTLAND FOUR REGION, WHERE TEXAS IS THE TOP SEED, AND WE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT DAY THEY’RE PLAYING YET. BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THEY’RE HEADED TO PALO ALTO TO PLAY IN THE STANFORD REGION. AND IF IOWA STATE WINS TWICE, UH, THEY DO HEAD TO PORTLAND. THE DRAKE WOMEN HAD TO WIN THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP. GAME TODAY. THEY WERE DOWN ONE WITH 2.6 SECONDS LEFT. HERE’S THE SEASON, FOLKS. SO THEY GO TO ANNA BO AND THE INSIDE AT THE BUZZER AND IT DROPS AS DRAKE WINS A INCREDIBLE, THRILLING GAME. 7675.
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Drake vs. Washington State: What to know about the Bulldogs' NCAA Tournament opponent
Drake's NCAA Tournament draw is official.The No. 10 seed Bulldogs will take on No. 7 seed Washington State in the first round Thursday night in Omaha.Here's what to know about the Cougars ahead of the big game.Washington State basketball: Record, stats and more Location: Pullman, WashingtonRecord: 24-9Conference: Pac-12 (14-6; finished in second place)NCAA Tournament history: The Cougars do not have an extensive track record in the NCAA Tournament.Washington State finished as the national runner-up in 1941. Since then, the team has made just six NCAA Tournament appearances and only has one trip beyond the second round — a Sweet 16 trip in 2008. The Cougars have not made an appearance since that 2008 run.Drake vs. Washington State men's basketball series resultsDrake and Washington State have played twice before, but we'll forgive you if you don't remember either game.Both matchups occurred within a week of each other in December 1935. Washington State won the first game, 28-27, on Dec. 16, 1935. Drake got revenge on Dec. 21 with a 29-19 win.The two teams have not met since.Washington State players to know: Myles Rice and Isaac JonesWashington State's key players will present different challenges for Drake.Senior forward Isaac Jones and freshman guard Myles Rice are the Cougars' two leading scorers at 15.4 and 15.1 points per game, respectively.Jones is a fifth-year senior who is listed at 6 feet 9 inches and 245 pounds. He's in his first year at Washington State after beginning his career with Wenatchee Valley College. After three years there, he transferred up to Division I and averaged 19.4 points per game at Idaho last season. Jones is also the team's leading rebounder at 7.4 rebounds per game.Rice is listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 180 pounds. He redshirted in 2021-22 and 2022-23 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He was in remission as of last summer and cleared to return to action. Rice averages 15.1 points per game to go along with a team-best 3.9 assists per game.Reuniting with Joseph YesufuHe won't take part in the game, but a former Drake star is on the roster at Washington State.Joseph Yesufu, who Drake fans will remember as the bench spark to the Bulldogs' 2020-21 run to the NCAA Tournament, is a team member at Washington State. He suffered an injury and has not played since November.Yesufu primarily came off the bench in his two seasons at Drake but still finished second on the team in scoring average as a sophomore in 2020-21 with 12.8 points per game.He posted a team-high 21 points while playing all 40 minutes in Drake's First Four win over Wichita State during that year's NCAA Tournament.Yesufu transferred to Kansas after that season and won a national title with the Jayhawks in 2022. After two years in Lawrence, he transferred to Washington State. Yesufu has only played six games at his current stop due to injuries.

Drake's NCAA Tournament draw is official.

The No. 10 seed Bulldogs will take on No. 7 seed Washington State in the first round Thursday night in Omaha.

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Here's what to know about the Cougars ahead of the big game.

Washington State basketball: Record, stats and more

Location: Pullman, Washington

Record: 24-9

Conference: Pac-12 (14-6; finished in second place)

NCAA Tournament history: The Cougars do not have an extensive track record in the NCAA Tournament.

Washington State finished as the national runner-up in 1941. Since then, the team has made just six NCAA Tournament appearances and only has one trip beyond the second round — a Sweet 16 trip in 2008. The Cougars have not made an appearance since that 2008 run.

Drake vs. Washington State men's basketball series results

, but we'll forgive you if you don't remember either game.

Both matchups occurred within a week of each other in December 1935. Washington State won the first game, 28-27, on Dec. 16, 1935. Drake got revenge on Dec. 21 with a 29-19 win.

The two teams have not met since.

Washington State players to know: Myles Rice and Isaac Jones

Washington State's key players will present different challenges for Drake.

Senior forward Isaac Jones and freshman guard Myles Rice are the Cougars' two leading scorers at 15.4 and 15.1 points per game, respectively.

Jones is a fifth-year senior who is listed at 6 feet 9 inches and 245 pounds. He's in his first year at Washington State after beginning his career with Wenatchee Valley College. After three years there, he transferred up to Division I and averaged 19.4 points per game at Idaho last season. Jones is also the team's leading rebounder at 7.4 rebounds per game.

Rice is listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 180 pounds. He redshirted in 2021-22 and 2022-23 after being . He was in remission as of last summer and cleared to return to action.

Rice averages 15.1 points per game to go along with a team-best 3.9 assists per game.

Reuniting with Joseph Yesufu

He won't take part in the game, but a former Drake star is on the roster at Washington State.

Joseph Yesufu, who Drake fans will remember as the bench spark to the Bulldogs' 2020-21 run to the NCAA Tournament, is a team member at Washington State. He suffered an injury and has not played since November.

Yesufu primarily came off the bench in his two seasons at Drake but still finished second on the team in scoring average as a sophomore in 2020-21 with 12.8 points per game.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 20: Joseph Yesufu #1 of the Drake Bulldogs drives to the basket in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men&apos&#x3B;s Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 20, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Sarah Stier
Joseph Yesufu #1 of the Drake Bulldogs drives to the basket in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 20, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

He posted a team-high 21 points while playing all 40 minutes in Drake's First Four win over Wichita State during that year's NCAA Tournament.

Yesufu transferred to Kansas after that season and won a national title with the Jayhawks in 2022. After two years in Lawrence, he transferred to Washington State. Yesufu has only played six games at his current stop due to injuries.