5 Best Drake Bulldogs Basketball Players, Ranked

So far this decade, if you bet on the Drake Bulldogs NCAA basketball odds to make the NCAA Tournament, you’d be doing quite well, as between 2020 and 2024, they’ve made it three times. 

Despite that, they haven’t made the Sweet Sixteen since 1971. They’ve also never made a national championship game. 

Still, you can bet on their basketball betting odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook.

With their recent success, see my list below of the top five Bulldogs of all time. 

5 Best Drake Bulldogs Basketball Players, Ranked

Drake Bulldogs All-Time Greatest Basketball Players

1. Willie McCarter

McCarter played for the Bulldogs from 1966 to 1969. He was technically there as a freshman, but in those days, freshmen weren’t allowed to play on the varsity team. 

Over that time, he scored 1,626 points (sixth in program history). He also had 633 points in the 1968-69 season, which is the fifth-most in a single season in Drake history. 

He was a two-time first-team All-MVC, and his No. 15 was retired by the school. 

McCarter led the Bulldogs team, which made it to their first and only Final Four. 

Over his tenure, he averaged 19.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. 

2. Red Murrell

Murrell played three seasons at Drake from 1955 to 1958, averaging 22.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. 

He scored 1,657 points (fourth). 

He was an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and two-time first-team All-MVC, and his No. 33 was retired. 

He also holds the single-game scoring record with 51 points against Houston during the 1957-58 season. 

3. Lewis Lloyd

After playing at New Mexico Military Institute from 1977 to 1979, Lloyd played at Drake from 1979 to 1981. 

Over his two seasons, he averaged 28.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. 

He was a two-time third-team All-American, two-time MVC Player of the Year, and two-time first-team All-MVC, and the Bulldogs retired his No. 30. 

He scored 1,577 points (seventh) and holds the top two single-season scoring records, led by his 815 points during the 1979-80 season. 

Not only that, but he holds the single-season rebound record with 406 that same season. 

4. Tucker DeVries

DeVries played for Drake from 2021 to 2024 before transferring to West Virginia. 

While at Drake, he was an AP Honorable Mention All-American, two-time MVC Player of the Year, two-time first-team All-MVC, second-team All-MVC, MVC Freshman of the Year and two-time MVC Tournament MVP. 

He scored 1,867 points (second) over his three seasons. He only trails Reed Timmer, who scored 2,000 points over four seasons. 

He averaged 18 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. 

5. Jeff Halliburton

Halliburton played just two seasons for Drake from 1969 to 1971. He averaged 17.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. 

He was the MVC Player of the Year in 1971 and was two-time first-team All-MVC in both seasons he played for the Bulldogs. 

Halliburton was part of the 1969 squad that went to the Final Four.