NCAAB Pick, Odds for Drake vs Indiana State: Bet This Favorite

Let's make an NCAAB pick after diving into Drake Bulldogs vs. Indiana State Sycamores odds for Saturday evening's college basketball game.

The Missouri Valley Conference is a two-team race as the calendar turns to February.

The Drake Bulldogs travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, on Saturday afternoon to take on the Indiana State Sycamores.

The Bulldogs defeated the Sycamores on January 10th, making the matchup a hypothetical championship game for the regular season title. There is a long way to go, but the Sycamores have no chance at the title if they lose.

With homecourt and revenge on their minds, I expect the Sycamores to come out with their hair on fire. There is reason to believe the first matchup was a fluke.

Let's take a deeper dive into the match in the breakdown below.

The Bulldogs have a talented roster, but there is reason to believe they are a paper tiger.

Their strength of schedule is 202nd in the nation. They may be a fraud.

There is no reason to discredit them from their win over the Sycamores, but a different outcome here is likely. These offenses can put on a show, but the Sycamores are the far superior unit.

The Bulldogs rank in the top 50 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, but their defense is much worse. The Sycamores shot 11-30 from deep in the prior head-to-head meeting.

That's not too poor of a performance, but for the third-best 3-point shooting team in the country, that's considered an off-night.

I doubt the Bulldogs get as fortunate here.

The Bulldogs are rarely the taller team, but they're not too undersized against the Sycamores.

Drake's been efficient inside the arc, an area where the Sycamores are vulnerable.

Point Guard Connor Enright and Forward Tucker DeVries are a great combo that can beat you in multiple ways. DeVries is terrific inside and is shooting 37% from 3.

Enright leads the team in 3-point shooting, but the Bulldogs' only path to victory remains on the perimeter. The game plan for the Sycamores is to shoot as many 3s as possible, which alludes to the idea that they need to keep up throughout the contest.

The Sycamores are rolling through the MVC like a chainsaw through butter. The only blemish so far is their loss against the Bulldogs last month.

Folks, if you are unfamiliar with the Sycamores, I advise you to tune in on Saturday afternoon. They are by far the most exciting Mid-Major team in the nation, and their entire starting lineup is filled with shooters.

The Sycamores have four starters shooting 40% or better from deep. They rank 11th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency.

Indiana State is Top-5 in the following offensive categories:

• Effective FG%
• 2PT%
• 3PT%
• FT%

The team reminds me a lot of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits from two years ago led by Baylor Scheierman, but they have the ceiling to be even better.

The Sycamores don't have depth, but that's something to worry about now.

Indiana State's defense is a concern, but its offense can compensate. As a positive, the Sycamores rarely foul, remaining disciplined.

Their defense may struggle in this game, but they won't allow the Bulldogs to earn easy points at the foul line. A significant difference in their last matchup was that the Bulldogs shot 19 for 21 from the charity stripe.

Due to their discipline on defense, I doubt the Bulldogs get to the line that frequently in the contest.

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It's way too good of a spot to pass up on the Sycamores at home.

It is time to sell the Bulldogs and buy the Sycamores. The Sycamore's strength of schedule is much tougher, and I will attribute the last loss to the Bulldogs to variance.

Remember, the Sycamores should have beaten Michigan State back in December. There is no questioning the talent of the squad.

Not to discredit the Bulldogs too much, but they are not in the same class as the Sycamores.

I expect Indiana State to get revenge and put the MVC regular season race to bed.

Pick: Indiana State -5.5 or Better

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