Kstate

Kansas State Fans Eye Drake Guard After Dominant Performance Vs Missouri

Drake guard Bennett Stirtz continues his star season in his first year with the program.

Jayden Armant

Mar 20, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; Drake Bulldogs guard Bennett Stirtz (14) dribbles against Missouri Tigers guard Tony Perkins (12) in the first half of a first round men’s NCAA Tournament game at Intrust Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; Drake Bulldogs guard Bennett Stirtz (14) dribbles against Missouri Tigers guard Tony Perkins (12) in the first half of a first round men’s NCAA Tournament game at Intrust Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images / Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images
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Drake guard Bennett Stirtz continues to make noise after a stellar regular season.

Stirtz scored 21 points in the Bulldogs' upset victory over Missouri Thursday afternoon, a star individual display amid single-digit performances from the other starters.

Stirtz won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Year award after averaging a conference-leading 19.2 points. He transferred from Northwest Missouri State and was one of four players who migrated to Drake with head coach Ben McCollum.

It may be a stretch to acquire Stirtz, but the Wildcats need help in the backcourt. Brendan Hausen was relatively inconsistent most of the season, while Dug McDaniel failed to get going until Kansas State's six-game win streak. The Drake junior would immediately add a scoring threat to complement the point guard.

Kansas State fans saw Stirtz's stardom firsthand in the pre-conference overtime loss. Stirtz had 22 points, including the game-winner in the waning seconds to clinch Drake's 10th consecutive victory.

They would love to be on the other side of Stirtz's late-game heroics next season. For now though, that remains unlikely, especially as the MVC Player of the Year continues making noise in the postseason.

"He's been in a lot of big games," coach Ben McCollum said in the postgame presser. "Just from a personality perspective, that's why we match so well. I'm a little more 'intense,' and he's very calm."

Stirtz and the Bulldogs continue their Tournament journey against Texas Tech Saturday night.

Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.

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Jayden Armant
JAYDEN ARMANT

Jayden is a journalism school graduate of Howard University. He was the 2024 recipient of the Terez Paylor scholarship award. He previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel.