Stirtz carried the Bulldogs in the first half Thursday, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with some dazzling drives to the rim, introducing himself to the nation in the Big Dance. The announcers on the TruTV telecast spent much of the first half praising his game.

Drake has become a March Madness mainstay with NCAA Tournament appearances in four of the last five years, but this season's team is vastly different than any before it.After losing coach Darian DeVries and almost all of their players,