A classic offense vs. defensive matchup will take place Thursday when No. 6 seeded Missouri meets No. 11 Drake in an opening West Regional matchup in Wichita, Kansas.
Missouri is averaging 84.5 points per game, which is ninth nationally. Meanwhile, Drake is the nation’s leader in scoring defense, allowing 58.4 points per game.
This is Drake’s third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs earned the automatic bid after defeating Bradley, 63-48, in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship. The Bulldogs became the 21st team to win the regular season and conference tournament championship in the same year.
Drake (30-3) is on a seven-game winning streak.
In the MVC final, Drake 6-foot-4 junior Bennett Stirtz played all 40 minutes and contributed 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists, while shooting 5 of 7 from three-point range. Stirtz was the Most Outstanding Player in the tournament after being named the MVC Player of the Year in his first season with the Bulldogs. He played his first two years at Division II Northwest Missouri State. When his coach Ben McCollum was hired by Drake in April, Stirtz followed him there.
Stirtz is averaging 19.1 points while shooting .386 from three-point range. Daniel Abreu, a 6-foot-6 graduate student, is the other double-figure scorer, averaging 10.4 points. Like Stirtz, Abreu is a transfer from Northwest Missouri State.
Yet another transfer from Northwest Missouri State is 6-foot-5 graduate student Mitch Mascari, who averages 9.8 points and is shooting a team-high .410 from three-point range.
Missouri (22-11) finished 10-8 in the country’s best conference, the SEC. The Tigers opened the SEC tournament with an 85-73 win over Mississippi before being eliminated in the quarterfinal by eventual champion Florida, 95-81.
Mark Mitchell, a 6-foot-9 junior who transferred this year to Missouri from Duke, is averaging 14.1 points and 4.8 rebounds to lead the Tigers in both categories. Caleb Grill, a 6-foot-3 graduate student, averages 13.7 points and shoots .405 from three-point range, while 6-foot-5 senior Tamar Bates averages 13.4 points and shoots .400 from deep.
A key player off the bench is 6-foot-3 graduate student Marques Warrick, who averages 6.8 points but is shooting a team-best .461 from deep.
Drake vs. Missouri Odds
Missouri is a 6.5-point college basketball odds favorite vs. Drake on BetMGM with the Over/Under at 133.5 points.
The moneyline for Missouri is -275 while it is +220 for Drake.
Drake vs. Missouri Channel
The game between Drake and Missouri will be on truTV.
Thursday’s tipoff is expected shortly after 7:35 p.m. ET.
Drake vs. Missouri Prediction
I like Missouri laying the points.
Missouri entered the tournament with an NCAA Net Ranking of 16, while Drake’s was 56. The Tigers were 7-11 in Quad 1 games, while Drake was 2-0. Missouri has the benefit of playing in the nation’s toughest conference, the SEC, which sent a record 14 teams to the tournament.
That should be a factor.
A major key will be the pace of the game. Missouri averages 12.33 fast break points per game. Drake averages just 6.06. According to Kenpom.com, Missouri has an adjusted tempo of 68.2, which means possessions per 40 minutes. Drake’s adjusted tempo is 58.8, which is 364th nationally.
A track meet favors Missouri, while a halfcourt game favors Drake.
As with any game, three-point shooting will be a factor. Drake is shooting .355 from three-point range, but more significantly, the Bulldogs hold opponents to a .310 clip. Missouri shoots .370 from deep and allows a .334 percentage.
Neither is an exceptional free-throw shooting team, with Missouri at .725 and Drake at .705. Missouri averages 27 free throws per game and Drake averages 21.
