Sunday night, Drake played against Indiana State in what was one of the most exciting conference championship games this year.
Drake at one point was up 18 points with about ten minutes to go, then Indiana State went on a huge run and eventually took the lead. In the end, it was Drake that got the win and punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs are led by junior wing Tucker DeVries.
DeVries is fifth in the nation in points per game as he averages 21.8 points per game and in the championship game he topped his average by dropping 27 points which was a game high for both teams. What makes the 6-foot-7 wing so enticing is how elite of a shooter and shot-maker he is with his great positional size. DeVries will undoubtedly be one of the top mid-major prospects in the NCAA tournament.
His ability to shoot over defenders, great shot versatility and good feel for the game makes him so hard to guard. DeVries has great range and a pure shooting stroke which allows him to be nearly automatic when he’s left wide open. Last year a lot of scouts saw him as a second round guy and he was likely to be drafted despite having a poor performance versus Miami in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Against Miami he only made one field goal out of 13 shot attempts. He struggled to create clean looks off the dribble in his first ever NCAA tournament game. This year he has taken a big step forward in production as he improved in every major statistical category. If DeVries is able to lead Drake into pulling off an upset or two, we should certainly see his name start to fly up draft boards yet again. Not many prospects at 6-foot-7 with his level of elite shot versatility.
More must-reads: