If you didn't follow the Dragons' Thanksgiving break trek to the tundra, and for your sake let's hope that's the case, the men's basketball team sputtered to a last place finish at the Great Alaskan Shootout in Anchorage.  That's eighth out of a total of eight teams that included the likes of an only-decent (and not even top-25 ranked) Division II school in host Alaska-Anchorage, a previously winless San Diego team, and a UNC-Asheville team that had just a single win on the season.  All of those teams knocked off Drexel over the course of the three day tournament.

​Some early season trends continued on Saturday at the DAC.  The men struggled to pull out what was another close game while the women were solid in another WNIT home victory.  The preseason CAA predictions appear to be holding true for both teams as far as out of conference play is concerned.  The women's team was predicted to finish second and they're off to a 2-1 start with their loss coming in a tight contest against #19 South Florida.  The guys, picked eighth, are now 0-3 against a handful a tough but beatable teams in St. Joes, High Point, and Monmouth.

​Saturday afternoon will often Drexel fans the rare opportunity to watch both basketball teams in action in back-to-back games.  The men continue their strong out-of-conference schedule when they take on Monmouth at 2pm.  The women will return to the DAC to take on St. Bonaventure in their third and final game of the WNIT.  Their game will begin at 5pm or 45 minutes after the men's game, whichever is later.

​Two games into the season and the updated defensive foul rules are already playing a large role in the outcome of Drexel's games.  For a second straight night, Drexel's top big man Rodney Williams was plagued by foul trouble and saw a limited amount of action (19 minutes).  The Dragons had a poor showing from the free throw line (14 of 28) and committed nearly double the turnovers they were able to create on the defensive end (17 vs. 9).  There was one bright spot for the Dragons: senior guard Tavon Allen was on fire for much of the night, hitting the first six of his three point attempts en route to twenty-one points off the bench.

​After a hard fought one point loss on opening night against St. Joes, the men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the DAC for their home opener on Wednesday evening.  Drexel will be looking for its first victory of the year when it takes on reigning Big South Conference champion High Point, who is fresh off a twenty-four point victory against N.C. Wesleyan, a Division III school.  In its only D-I game of the year, High Point dropped a four point decision at Texas Tech.

Drexel, in search of its first win against a top 25 program in five years looked poised to just that through much of Sunday's game.  The Dragons hung with #19 South Florida through three quarters, trailing by one after the first, four at halftime, and seven after the third.  A cold shooting streak through the second half of the fourth quarter ultimately allowed the Bulls to run off with a 73-58 win in the second round of the Preseason WNIT.

​Coming off a big victory in their first game of the season, Drexel will take on the Bulls of South Florida, the nineteenth ranked team in the country, on Sunday afternoon in the second round of the Preseason NIT.  The Dragons, who were dominant for much of their opening round victory over Dartmouth, will have their hands full with a potent USF offense.  Drexel is in search of its first win over a ranked opponent in nearly five years.

​The new look Dragons stumbled out of the 2015-16 season starting gate on Hawk Hill last night before a strong late game push nearly saw them overtake their cross-city rivals in an 82-81 defeat.  Drexel's frontcourt, which was tasked with attempting to slow down perhaps the city's best player in DeAndre' Bembry, got into foul trouble quickly in the first half.  Both starters, Rodney Williams and Kazembe Abif, were lifted from the game in the first five minutes due to foul trouble.  Neither player returned in the first half.

Drexel opened up its 2015-16 and the Preseason NIT with a convincing 69-53 victory in a game which saw the Dragons stretch a fourth quarter lead to nearly thirty points.  Led by two preseason all-league players in Rachel Pearson (21 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Sarah Curran (20 points and 6 rebounds), Drexel overcame a sluggish start on the offensive side of the ball to lead by three after the first quarter.

​The Drexel men's basketball team will open up the 2015-16 season on City Avenue tomorrow evening as they take on St. Joes at Hagan Arena.  The Dragons will look to bounce back from a tumultuous season that saw almost every player on the team lost to injury at some point last year.  The new look Dragons will be without the services of a couple graduating seniors, Sooren Derboghosian (perhaps the greatest UCLA transfer player in program history), Freddie Wilson (without a doubt the best pump faker in program history), and junior transfer Damion Lee (off to Louisville where he is now sporting dreads).