Posted on
2/28/2008 5:03:01 PM
College Basketball Betting - DRAKE at MISSOURI STATE
By Charles Jay
BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: DRAKE -2, Total 135
The Drake Bulldogs (24-3 SU, 17-5-1 ATS), coming off perhaps their biggest win of the season, will travel to Springfield, MO on Tuesday night to take on the Bears of Missouri State (14-15 SU, 8-17 ATS) in a Missouri Valley Conference game that is scheduled to tip off at 8:05 PM ET at the Hammonds Student Center.
In the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds, Drake is listed as a two-point favorite, with a total of 135 points.
Here are some of the NCAAB betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* DRAKE is 12-5-1 ATS in its last 18 games
* DRAKE has played seven of its last eight games OVER the total
* DRAKE is 5-0-1 ATS in its last six road games
* DRAKE has won 10 of its last 11 road games SU
* DRAKE has played four of its last five road games OVER the total
* MST has covered three of its last 11 games
* MST has lost six of its last nine games SU
* MST has played eight of its last 11 games OVER the total
* MST has covered five of its last seven home games
* MST has won 13 of its last 15 home games SU
* MST has covered four of the last five meetings
* MST has won ten of the last 11 meetings SU
* MST has covered nine of the last 12 meetings as the home team
* MST has had the shooting edge in each of the last ten meetings
* DRAKE has had the rebounding edge in four of the last five meetings
* MST has made more three-pointers in five of the last six meetings
If you checked us out this past weekend, we pointed out in forecasting a Drake win over Butler that the Bulldogs possessed an unusually versatile performer in Jonathan Cox, who leads the Missouri Valley Conference in both three-point shooting percentage AND rebounding. But it's not going to be easy for Drake to turn around just a few days after that big win - in fact, a landmark win - that took place in a televised "bracket-buster" contest and beat a Missouri State team that has won 13 of its last 15 games at home, even though at 14-15 they have no chance of making it to the NCAA tournament.
We will continue to dwell on this, because it is important - with the emergence of yet another tournament - the 16-team College Basketball Invitational (CBI) to join the NIT as a "consolation" contest for those teams who were overlooked or otherwise aren't good enough to qualify for the Big Dance, more teams have hopes for post-season play. And a win by MSU here will help that cause immeasurably.
We obviously recognize that Drake takes good care of the basketball (just 11.9 turnovers a game) and can hit from long-range (9.1 threes per game). But look - Missouri State limits opponents to just 57 points per game on its home floor, and also has a +6 rebounding margin at the Hammonds Student Center.
An upset is very possible here. Let's not forget that before beating Butler, Drake had lost games to Southern Illinois and Bradley within a week's time. And Missouri State has won 10 of the last 11 meetings. We'll grab the points with Missouri State, the two-point underdogs in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: MISSOURI STATE
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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)