College Basketball Odds, Pick for Bradley vs Drake (Sunday, March 3)

We have one final round of Sunday Missouri Valley Conference games before Arch Madness begins. The Drake Bulldogs and Bradley Braves are two teams who will battle for the Arch Madness title. The two will first meet in Des Moines on Sunday for a tune-up heading into the conference tournament.

Let's dive into this matchup in our Bradley vs. Drake preview and pick.

Although Bradley fans hate when I say people don't respect Bradley enough, it's true. The Braves won 20-plus games in five of the past six years with three straight top-100 KenPom finishes. Brian Wardle is one of those coaches who gets the most out of his players and adjusts the team's play style according to its strengths.

I totally thought Bradley's early-season shooting surge wouldn't last after shooting below 35% from 3 the past two seasons. Instead, it got better. Bradley is shooting 37.4% from 3 while attempting triples on 42% of field goal attempts. That's the difference in this Bradley team compared to others.

The Braves have three scorers averaging at least 14 points: guards Duke Deen and Connor Hickman and forward Malevy Leons. That's a very balanced scoring attack. Hickman and Deen light rims on fire with their perimeter shooting prowess, connecting on 39% of 3s.

While Bradley isn't as steady on the defensive end, it still ranks 72nd in defensive efficiency. If the 3s don't fall for the Braves one night, its defense is good enough to keep it in the game, particularly because of Hickman and Deen's ball pressure, which leads to a 19% defensive turnover percentage.

Drake's at-large chances remain somewhat alive after beating UIC in a triple overtime battle Wednesday. It wasn't an easy game, but Tucker DeVries saved the day once again.

Devries is a top-tier player in the sport, averaging 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Losing Roman Penn this offseason shifted DeVries' role into a team leader who makes plays for teammates. He's done a great job transitioning into a different role, in addition to his scoring like usual. You won't find many better true three-level scorers in the sport than DeVries, who posts up, hits step-back 3s and pulls up from the mid-range.

Drake is very well-schooled on the offensive end. The Bulldogs turn the ball over only 14% of the time (top 20 nationally) and boast the 22nd-best effective field goal percentage in the sport. While Bradley's offense runs through the perimeter shot, Drake is more than willing to attack inside or outside.

The Bulldogs crushed Bradley's interior in the first meeting, as Darnell Brodie scored 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting. The burly 6'10", 275 center is 35 pounds bigger than any of Bradley's rotation players. They had no answer for Brodie, and doubling him won't work unless you want DeVries or Atin Wright to get consistent one-on-one looks. '

On defense, Drake allows a ton of perimeter attempts; over 39% of the opponents' shots come from downtown. That plays right into Bradley's favor, but limiting Drake pushing the pace will cause issues for Bradley's slow-paced offense.

The Bulldogs have the home-court advantage, where the home team rarely loses. We saw how the crowd helped Drake secure a double-digit win over Indiana State in Des Moines, and I think we'll see the same here. Plus, Drake matches up well against Bradley with its size advantage.

I'm backing Drake here.

Pick: Drake -4 (Play to -5)