| Mode: | Basketball |
| Year: | 2020–21 |
| Prev Year: | 2019–20 |
| Next Year: | 2021–22 |
| Team: | Drake Bulldogs |
| Conference: | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Short Conf: | MVC |
| Record: | 26–5 |
| Conf Record: | 15–3 |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Asst Coach1: | Larry Blunt |
| Asst Coach2: | Marty Richter |
| Asst Coach3: | Matt Gatens |
| Bowl: | NCAA tournament, First Round |
The 2020–21 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Drake University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs are led by third-year head coach Darian DeVries. They played their home games at Knapp Center on campus in Des Moines, Iowa, as members of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bulldogs finished the season 26–5, 15–3 in MVC play to finish in second place. In the quarterfinals of the MVC tournament, they advanced to the semifinals after Northern Iowa was forced to forfeit due to COVID-19 issues. They defeated Missouri State in the semifinals before losing to Loyola in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed in the First Four. They defeated Wichita State to advance to the First Round where they were eliminated by USC.
The Bulldogs finished the season 20–14, 8–10 in MVC play to finish in eighth place. They defeated Illinois State and Northern Iowa to advance to the semifinals of the MVC tournament where they lost to Bradley. All postseason tournaments were thereafter canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[1] [2]
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brady Ernst | 31 | F | 6'10" | 230 | RS Senior | Graduated. | ||
| Samm Jones | 1 | G | 5'11" | 196 | Junior | Transferred to Davenport University. | ||
| 21 | C | 7'0" | 235 | Sophomore | Transferred to Minnesota. |
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShanQuan Hemphill | 4 | F | 6'6" | 195 | Senior | Transferred from Green Bay. Missed almost all of 2019–20 season with lower body injury; petitioned for and was granted a medical waiver that gave him a sixth season of eligibility. | ||
| Darnell Brodie | 51 | F | 6'10" | 275 | Junior | Transferred from Seton Hall. Played just 3 games during 2019–20 season due to injuries and illnesses. Granted hardship waiver that gave him immediate eligibility for 2020–21 season. |
|-!colspan=9 style=| Non-conference regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| MVC regular season|-!colspan=12 style=| MVC tournament|-!colspan=12 style=| NCAA tournament|-Source[3]
See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings. *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.