Posted on 2/19/2008 6:19:29 PM

College Basketball Betting - Bradley at Drake

By Charles Jay

BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: DRAKE -7.5, Total 140

The Drake Bulldogs (23-2 SU, 16-4-1 ATS) will try to protect its newly-improved NCAA rating on Tuesday night when they play host to the Bradley Braves (15-12 SU, 13-11-1 ATS) in a Missouri Valley Conference game that will begin at 8:35 PM ET at the Drake Knapp Center in beautiful Des Moines.

In the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds, the Drake Bulldogs are listed as a 7.5-point favorite, with a total of 140 points.

Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* BRAD has covered seven of its last eight games

* BRAD has won seven of its last nine games SU

* BRAD has played four of its last five games OVER the total

* BRAD has covered four of its last five road games

* BRAD has played seven of its last nine road games OVER the total

* DRA has covered 11 of its last 16 games

* DRA has played five of its last six games OVER the total

* DRA has covered five of its last seven home games

* BRAD has covered four of the last five meetings

* DRA has won six of the last nine meetings SU

* Five of the last six meetings have gone OVER the total

* BRAD has had the shooting edge in each of the last five meetings

* DRA has had the rebounding edge in five of the last seven meetings

* BRAD has made more three-pointers in each of the last five meetings

Drake is now ranked #16 by the Associated Press and #18 in the USA Today poll. The RPI (Ratings Percentage Index), a major determinant in seedings for the NCAA tournament, actually has Drake rated #10 in the country. Needless to say, a loss would jeopardize all those rankings.

Bradley, however, was feisty the first time around against Drake, losing by only a 69-68 score, and they were on the brink of victory without Daniel Ruffin, their all-conference point guard who is the nation's active career leader in assists. Ruffin has come back to the lineup to average over 15 points a game in his last eight.

Bradley, like Drake, is pretty good from the free throw line (74.5%), and can make a load of threes (9.2 per game). In fact, last time out, an 87-59 embarrassment of Creighton, they made 13 shots from beyond the arc. And the Braves have gotten themselves on a relatively decent run, winning seven of their last nine games and covering seven of the last eight. Some of this has coincided with Ruffin's return. And now Bradley is knocking on the door for at least an NIT bid.

We're going to look for a very tight game, and consequently we're going to grab the points with Bradley, the 7.5-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: DRAKE

Go to the BetUS.com online sportsbook today to bet on NCAA basketball. We have the most current NCAA basketball odds and lines, as well as player and game props. Join BetUS.com to experience the best in online sports betting action!

(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)