June 22, 2009

Director of Athletics David Miller announced today that both Peacock basketball squads will face the Division I-Bulldogs of Drake University next season in exhibition games. The UIU women will travel to Drake on Nov. 1, 2009, while the Peacock men will take the court in the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa on Nov. 7, 2009. Both games are scheduled to tip at 7 p.m.

Drake, one of the four Division I institutions in the state of Iowa, is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Last season, the Bulldog women finished with a 19-12 record overall which included a 12-6 mark in the MVC, good enough for third place. The Bulldog men finished the 2008-09 season with a 17-16 record overall and a 7-11 record in the MVC, which placed them in eighth place.

"Our basketball programs are looking forward to playing Drake University next fall," said Miller. "Both the men's and women's programs at Drake compete on the national scale in NCAA Division I basketball. Our student-athletes, as Iowa's only NCAA Division II program, welcome the opportunity to test their skills and abilities on this level. We're hopeful that our men's and women's teams play one of Iowa's big four programs each year as this will be exciting for not only our student-athletes, but our current students and alumni."

This will be the first meeting between UIU and Drake for both squads; however, since moving to Division II, the Peacock women have faced the other three Iowa Division I institutions in exhibition games. In 2004, UIU travelled to Cedar Falls to play the Panthers of Northern Iowa and two years later travelled to Ames to play the Cyclones of Iowa State in an exhibition contest. Last season, the Peacock women went south to Iowa City to play the Hawkeyes of Iowa.

"Playing at Drake University in Des Moines is a huge opportunity for us," said Head Women's Basketball Coach Mike Brown. "We're hoping it will provide a lot of excitement for Upper Iowa in central Iowa and allow us to get into the homes of some of those kids in the area that are unfamiliar with UIU. It will also provide us with a stern test as we prepare to play the 2009-10 season in the ultra-competitive Northern Sun Conference."

The Upper Iowa men have played two of the four in-state Division I schools since transitioning to NCAA Division II. In 2004, the Peacocks went to Iowa City for an exhibition game with the University of Iowa and in 2005 travelled to Cedar Falls to play the University of Northern Iowa in a regular season matchup.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to play Drake University. This is a game we had on our schedule last year, but due to some last minute changes we had to scratch the game," said Head Men's Basketball Coach Brian Dolan. "Having a roster comprised mostly of young men from Iowa, I know they will look forward to playing an in-state, NCAA Division I opponent. It is always good to play a team of Drake's caliber during the exhibition season as it will act as a barometer of where we are as a team. We appreciate Drake extending us this opportunity and look forward to having our many alumni and friends from the Des Moines area at the game to watch their Peacocks."

The Peacock basketball squads will both play their regular season openers on the road on Nov. 15. The women's team travels to Maryville, Missouri to play the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State at 2 p.m., while the men's team will head to Quincy, Ill. to face the Hawks of Quincy University.