Drexel Takes on UMBC Tomorrow, Show up. Be Loud.

I was listening to a college football podcast before the season began, and the host had a gambling “expert” on.

The expert said that the way oddsmakers factor in home field advantage varies. If a game is being played at Beaver Stadium in front of 110,000 fans, oddsmakers will certainly take that into consideration because they know crowd noise can affect the outcome of a game.

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Drexel Falls to NJIT...but it's not all bad

If you’ve had the misfortune of sitting near me at a Drexel basketball game, you've probably heard me yell something to the effect of “what are we doing?”

This has become one of my go to phrases of frustration. I use it in many different scenarios, sometimes to express anger, sometimes to express confusion. Seven games into this season though, I haven’t been using it quite as much.

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WBB: New-Look Roster Looks to Continue Piling Up Wins at the DAC, starting Friday Against Quinnipiac

The DAC will play host to perhaps the best matchup anywhere in the country on Friday night when Drexel, the reigning CAA Regular Season Champions, will host a Quinnipiac team fresh off a MAAC championship and a trip into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Both teams enter the season with lofty expectations. The Bobcats were selected to win their conference again and currently sit atop the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Dragons were picked second in a stacked CAA and are currently ranked #15 in that same poll.

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Best Case, Worst Case, Most Likely Scenario for the 18-19 Season

There’s no doubt most of you have seen different publications and media outlets putting Drexel at the bottom of the CAA this season.

I for one, don’t think it’s as black and white. National outlets, and local ones who only care about Jay Wright’s suits really don’t know what they're talking about when they talk about Drexel basketball.

The lazy way out is to say “They lost their best player on a team that was bad, so they’ll be terrible,” but I don’t think that is necessarily the case.

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2018-2019 Drexel Men's Basketball Schedule Review: Non-Conference

Drexel @ Eastern Michigan - Friday, 11/9, 11:00AM

Start working on your sick voice to tell your boss you’re not coming in that day. Yes, an 11AM tipoff on a Friday is definitely strange, but that just makes the kick off to the season all the more exciting. EMU is one of the most talented teams in the MAC, and have every intention of dancing come March. Center James Thompson IV averaged 14 and 11 last season, and at 6’10 he will give Tim Perry Jr. and Alihan Demir all they can handle. The Eagles also return their leading scorer Elijah Minnie, but don’t be deceived by his name. The 6’9 combo forward can score in multiple ways and averaged 16.8ppg last season. This will be a serious challenge for the Dragons.

Drexel @ Rutgers - Sunday 11/11, 3:00PM

The Scarlet Knights are one of those teams that should be good, but can never seem to get their act together. Head Coach Steve Pikell has seen improvements from his team, especially on defense. They held opponents to 64.8 points per game last year, which was a leap forward. It will still be early in the season, and both teams will probably still look sloppy, but this one could be high scoring. Rutgers will have Quinnipiac transfer Peter Kiss who was brought in to provide offense, as well as freshman Ron Harper Jr. who lit it up in high school. Both teams will be breaking in plenty of new players, and it will be interesting to see which team gels more quickly.

Bryn Athyn @ Drexel - Wednesday 11/14, 7:00PM

I’m so tempted to just write “pass” here, but I actually have a story.

My cousin played ball for a small college in Jersey, and a few years ago they played at Bryn Athyn. I attended the game and remember two things from it. First, the officiating was, without question, the worst I have ever seen in my life. I will never see a more poorly officiated game. It was unreal. Second, after the game when my cousin came out of the locker room, the first thing he said to me was “my high school team would’ve beaten these guys.” So there you go, that’s Drexel’s home opener.

Drexel @ La Salle - Saturday 11/17, 4:00PM

We beat them at their place last year and we’ll do it again. Well, we’ll at least try to. The biggest difference is the upgrade in coach for the Explorers. Former Drexel guard Ashley Howard is now at the helm, and tasked with returning La Salle to the prominence they once saw. It won’t happen this season, as the Explorers lose last years best player B.J. Johnson. They also lose two other senior starters, but return guard Pookie Powell who can do some serious scoring. In the first Gold Game of the season, look for Drexel to score some points and take advantage of La Salle’s youth.

Boston University @ Drexel - Wednesday 11/21, 3:00PM

Boston U was a middle of the road team in the competitive Patriot League, finishing last season 15-16. That being said, they have been infused with new life. Texas Tech transfer Alex Vilarino will be looked at to provide solid D and scoring. Boston is a young squad, but talented. Much of their success this season will depend on how well freshman forward Jack Hemphill and freshman guard Garrett Pascoe develop. Coach Spiker is familiar with BU from his time coaching Army in the Patriot League.

Drexel @ Bowling Green - Sunday 11/25, 3:00PM

Bowling Green ruined Drexel’s home opener last season, and the Dragons will try to exact revenge. BGSU struggled mightily at the end of last year after getting off to a hot start. Coach Michael Huger is one of the better mid-major coaches out there, and won’t let their late season stumbles carry over. Kurk Lee had 11 points, and Troy Harper had 8 against Bowling Green last year. Both will need to step up for Drexel to avoid consecutive losses to the Falcons.

NJIT @ Drexel - Wednesday 11/28, 7:00PM

Drexel lost to NJIT by 12 last season in one of those head scratching games. Last year, Drexel matched NJIT from a talent standpoint for sure, but just never got it together. Anthony Tarke, who had 13 points and 7 boards in the game, has transferred to UTEP, so the Highlanders will look to 6’10 center Abdul Lewis to pick up the slack. There is no doubt that Drexel will be tested in the paint early in this one.

Robert Morris @ Drexel - Saturday 12/1, 2:00PM

The Dragons fell to Robert Morris by 14 points in Pittsburgh last season, but Dachon Burke who lit Drexel up for 25 has left RMU. That’s the good news. The bad news is they return NEC Freshman of the Year Koby Thomas, and will be bolstered by Akron transfer Josh Williams. The 6’2 guard is one of the top newcomers in the NEC. Drexel was led by Kurk Lee’s 15 points in the loss last season.

Loyola (MD) @ Drexel - Wednesday 12/5, 7:00PM

The Greyhounds escaped with a win in a hard fought game last season in Baltimore. Philly’s own Chuck Champion will lead Loyola who look to improve upon a 10 win season last year. The talented guard, who was 4-4 from three and had 21 in their meeting last year, will be joined by highly touted freshman Jaylin Andrews in the backcourt. Coach Tavaras Hardy is in his first season at Loyola, and while expectations may not be high this year, Loyola will give Drexel all they can handle.

UMBC @ Drexel - Saturday 12/8, 2:00PM

UMBC made headlines last year when they became the only 16 seed to defeat a 1 seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament. They defeated the University of Virginia by dismantling the typically stingy Cavaliers defense. UMBC graduated two stars from that team in Jarius Lyles and K.J. Maura, so, much of their success will depend on the play of forward Joe Sherburne. This should be a great game to attend at the DAC.

Drexel @ Quinnipiac - Sunday 12/16, 6:00PM

This good matchup is part of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off played at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. While this may not be the marquee game of the day, it sure will be an entertaining one to watch. Drexel narrowly defeated Baker Dunleavy’s squad last season at The DAC. The Bobcats will contend for the MAAC title this season, as they return wing Cameron Young who averaged 18.8 points per game last season. Dunleavy also landed New York’s Mr. Basketball in freshman Shavion Lewis. In a game that will have some degree of national attention, the Dragons will need to come ready to play against a Quinnipiac squad that will be much improved.

Drexel @ UConn - Tuesday 12/18, 7:00PM

In what is the marquee matchup on the schedule this season, Drexel will head to UConn to take on a rebuilding Huskies team. After catching lightning in a bottle and winning the national title in his first season, coach Kevin Ollie was never able to build upon that, and was replaced by Dan Hurley. UConn, despite having some rough seasons, has the talent one would expect from a program of their caliber. In the backcourt, Jalen Adams and Christian Vital have the potential to take over games, and that’s exactly what they’ll try to do. Drexel will need to play lockdown defense, and Kurk Lee will need to be at his best for the Dragons to compete in this one.

Temple “@” Drexel - Saturday 12/22, 1:00PM

This game is being played at The Palestra. On the Dragonscast episode with Coach Spiker, Spiker said Temple coach Fran Dunphy had some legitimate points as to why this game should be played at The Palestra instead of The DAC. I know we’re supposed to bow at the alter of Dunphy, but this is annoying. This would have been a great game to play at The DAC, especially for recruits to see the incredible environment The DAC can be. Instead, the baby gets his bottle. Drexel nearly beat Temple at their place last season, and standouts Quinton Rose and Shizz Alston will looks to dominate this game start to finish. This will be a battle between two good guards in Kurk Lee and Alston. I know Dunphy is well respected and a classy guy, but I want nothing more than to send him into retirement with an absolute ass-whooping. PLEASE COME OUT TO THIS GAME.

The Five Must See Games at The DAC this Season

If I had basketball fever and the only cure was watching Drexel play Bryn Athyn, I don’t know if I’d be able to do it.

Unfortunately for me, I have a much more serious and permanent disease, it’s called being a Drexel basketball fan, so I’ll be there when they play the D-III Bryn Athyn, and when they tangle with Robert Morris, and I’ll be there when we seek revenge against NJIT.

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In Defense of Drexel Basketball, The Second Draft

The Triangle recently published a piece written and/or co-signed by former DAC Pack presidents who saw the DAC Pack through some of their strongest years. The article eloquently commented on the past success of Drexel basketball and the fan support that surrounded it. The piece ended with optimism, explaining how students and alums can #TakeBackTheDac and take Drexel basketball and the experience surrounding it back to it’s glory. The co-signers of the article welcomed a chance to meet with President Fry to discuss how to #TakeBackTheDac.

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