Drake Bulldogs vs Illinois State Redbirds 3/5/2020 Picks Predictions

Drake Bulldogs vs Illinois State Redbirds 3/5/2020 Picks Predictions Previews
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The 2020 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament starts on Thursday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis with two first round matchups. One of these matchups is the No. 8 Drake Bulldogs taking on the No. 9 Illinois State Redbirds. Drake had a better regular season than Illinois State but it all comes down to this with the winner advance in the quarterfinals to face off against the No. 1 Northern Iowa Panthers on Friday.

Drake finished the regular season with a conference record of 8-10, which was good enough for eighth place. They were a game behind to be even considered for a bye in the first round. Nevertheless, Drake ended their regular season with three straight losses including a 70-43 loss to the Northern Iowa Panthers in the finale. It was a lackluster performance by the Bulldogs but also an amazing one by the Panthers. G Roman Penn was the lone bright spot for Drake with his team-high 17 points and seven rebounds.

The Bulldogs are averaging 69.1 points and 33.6 rebounds per game this season. They are 2-1 playing on a neutral site, which is a good sign for them. They are also shooting 45.6% from the field, 34.0% from the three-point area and 71.0% from the free throw line. The Bulldogs split the season series 1-1 with Illinois State this season. However, they are just 1-6 ATS and 2-5 SU in their last seven games. The Bulldogs had only three wins in their last 10 games of the regular season.

Drake Bulldogs vs Illinois State Redbirds Predictions 3/5/2020

On the other hand, the Illinois State Redbirds ended their regular season with a win, which was their second in their last three games. Illinois State defeated the Evansville Purple Aces in their regular season finale, 71-60. G DJ Horne had a game-high 24 points with seven rebounds and three assists while G Jaycee Hillsman added 13 points and four boards. The Redbirds bench had a solid outing with a combined 21 points.

Illinois State are averaging 66.2 points and 33.7 rebounds per game this season. They are shooting 42.5% from the field, 35.5% from beyond the arc and 70.5% from the charity stripe. The Redbirds are also winless in three games on neutral grounds this season. They are 6-13-1 ATS in their last 20 games and 4-13 SU in their last 17 games. But despite these records and stats, Illinois State have won seven out of the last ten games against Drake.

Drake Bulldogs vs Illinois State Redbirds. The NCAA-B Men’s Pick for this match is the Eastern Drake Bulldogs -3. The Drake Bulldogs might have ended their regular season on a sour note, they will enter the game against the Illinois State Redbirds full of confidence. They are 2-1 on neutral sites while Illinois State are 0-3. Nevertheless, this game appears to be an even matchup with Drake gaining the upper hand towards the later part of the game. Prediction is a 75-71 win for Drake over Illinois State.

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