It will be a a defensive struggle between two of the Missouri Valley’s top scoring defenses when the Drake Bulldogs (5-13) take on the Missouri State Bears (7-11). The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 20 and will air on EFC and ES3.
The Bulldogs were beaten by Southern Illinois 81-76 on Sunday. Reed Timmer was the game’s high scorer, contributing 27 points. The Bears, meanwhile, are coming off a 61-42 win over Bradley on Saturday. Obediah Church had a good game and claimed his first double-double of the season, posting 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Drake is a small two-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 136 points. The Bulldogs are looking to improve on their records of 5-13 Straight Up (SU) and 5-10 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 2-7 ATS over their last 10 games. Drake is excellent from the perimeter, shooting a stellar .412 from three-point range.
On the other side, Missouri State has a SU record of 7-11 and an ATS record of 8-9. The Missouri State defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 33rd in Division I with only 67.3 points allowed per road game.
These conference rivals will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Bulldogs were winners, but Missouri State still leads the head-to-head record over their most recent games, 8-2 SU. The Bears also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Drake and Missouri State each held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once in their last five meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – MoStU, ATS Winner – MoStU, O/U – Over
Notes
Drake is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
Drake is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Drake is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Drake is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games when playing Missouri State.
Drake is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Missouri State.
Winless against their conference, the Drake Bulldogs are 0-6 SU against their rivals, while Missouri State has an even 3-3 SU record against its foes.
In its last game, Missouri State won by a margin of 19 points. Drake is 2-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Missouri State has a 3-2 record in blowouts.
Missouri State has an average field goal percentage of 41.4%. Drake is an underachieving 2-13 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Drake Bulldogs rank lower for their field goal percentage (71st) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (48th), but the Missouri State Bears have a better FG% ranking (299th) than eFG% ranking (321st).
The Drake Bulldogs average 3.8 steals per game. When giving up 3 or more steals, the Missouri State Bears have a losing record (7-11) this season.
