The Drake Bulldogs (5-6) can snap a five-game road losing streak when they challenge the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (7-4) at Frost Arena. The games Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 152.5 points with South Dakota State opening as an 11-point favorite. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 19, 2017.
Drake Bulldogs at South Dakota State Jackrabbits Odds Preview
The last time the Bulldogs played, they were blown out by the Iowa Hawkeyes, 90-64. Drake’s Reed Timmer put together a good game, contributing 13 points. Iowa’s rebounding was their largest strength. The Hawkeyes had more offensive rebounds (14 vs. five), defensive rebounds (27 vs. 19) and total rebounds (41 vs. 24).
The Jackrabbits are trying to rebound after their 112-103 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes in their last outing. Mike Daum was the top scorer from either team with 37 points on 14-for-28 shooting. Colorado did a terrific job of converting from the charity stripe (19-23; 82.6 percent). South Dakota State, on the other hand, had a much better turnover percentage (9.6 vs. 17.6).
The productive offense of South Dakota State (43rd in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 115.6) will battle against the porous defense of Drake (300th in the NCAA with a defensive efficiency of 109.0). The Jackrabbits should have the advantage on that side of the ball. Furthermore, the Bulldogs rank 288th in offensive rebounding percentage (25.8 percent), while the Jackrabbits rank 10th in defensive rebounding percentage (77.9 percent).
Games featuring these teams tend to go over the projected point total. Drake games have gone over 66.7 percent of the time, while South Dakota State games have gone over 60.0 percent of the time. Looking at straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records, the Jackrabbits have a clear advantage. They are 7-4 SU and 6-4 ATS, while the Bulldogs are 5-6 SU and 5-3-1 ATS.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams, after the Jackrabbits won the lone contest last season, 83-75. The Jackrabbits played a nearly perfect game. They had an extraordinary free throw rate of 0.368 and a phenomenal offensive rebounding percentage of 36.4. The Bulldogs put up marks of 0.109 and 28.6, respectively, for those same stats.
Drake Bulldogs at South Dakota State Jackrabbits Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – South Dakota State, ATS Winner – Drake, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Jackrabbits rank 31st in blocks allowed per game (2.5) while the Bulldogs rank 129th (4.0).
- Drake is 41st in the NCAA with 5.5 steals allowed per game while South Dakota State is 54th with 5.7 steals allowed per game.
- Drake is 4-3-1 ATS on the road with 5 overs and 3 unders.
- At home, South Dakota State is 2-1 ATS with 3 unders and 0 overs.
- Drake ranks 63rd in three pointers attempted per game (24.9) while South Dakota State ranks 247th in three pointers allowed per game (26.5).
- The Jackrabbits rank 47th in rebounds per game (39.4) while the Bulldogs rank 183rd (34.5).
- Drake ranks 38th in assists per game (16.5) while South Dakota State ranks 161st in assists allowed per game (14.5).
Bettings Trends:
- South Dakota State is 2-2 ATS with 2 overs and 2 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Drake is 3-2 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
- The Jackrabbits average margin of victory in their last five games has been 6.6, down from 9.0 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Bulldogs have scored an average of 75.6 points per game (4.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 84.2 points per game (5.6 above their season average).
