Drake Bulldogs vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Prediction, 12/20/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Drake Bulldogs vs Mississippi State Bulldogs

Date: Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE

TV: Hulu Live TV

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (11-0) will try to beat the Drake Bulldogs (8-3) at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Tuesday.

The Drake Bulldogs faced Saint Louis and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 83-75 in their last contest. Drake wrapped up the contest with a 43.5% field goal percentage (27 of 62) and converted 9 of their 24 shots from distance. When they shot from the free throw line, the Bulldogs knocked down 12 of their 18 tries for a percentage of 66.7%. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they collected 29 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 16 assists in this matchup in addition to creating 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. With regard to defense, Drake allowed the other team to go 42.9% from the field on 27 of 63 shooting. Saint Louis recorded 15 dimes and had 2 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, Saint Louis totaled 43 rebounds (11 offensive, 32 defensive), but didn't have a block. Saint Louis finished the game shooting 91.3% at the free throw line by knocking down 21 of 23 tries. They also converted 8 out of their 27 attempts from beyond the arc. When discussing fouls, the Bulldogs finished with 22 and Saint Louis finished the game with 16 fouls.

Tucker DeVries is one guy who was a factor for this contest. He finished shooting 35.3% from the field and also recorded 2 dimes. He was on the court for 36 minutes and also pulled down 3 rebounds. He ended up with 15 points on 6 of 17 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks

Drake will take the court with a mark of 8-3 for the season. They have an average of 73.0 points per outing (171st in the country) while hitting 45.6% from the field. The Bulldogs are shooting 32.6% on shots from beyond the arc (76 of 233) and 77.0% from the charity stripe. As a team, Drake is pulling down 33.9 boards per contest and has tallied 135 assists so far this year, which is 283rd in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.3 times per game and as a team are committing 17.2 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Bulldogs are able to force 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.5 personal fouls. They are ranked 22nd in the country in allowing assists to their opponents with 105 surrendered this year. The Bulldogs defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.7% (264 of 633) and they surrender 34.7 boards per game as a basketball team. They concede 30.4% on three-point shots and they are ranked 158th in college basketball in points per game allowed (67.7).

The last time they took the court, the Mississippi State Bulldogs got the victory with a final of 68-66 when they faced Nicholls State. The Bulldogs were able to collect 26 defensive boards and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 39 in the game. They coughed it up 18 times, while getting 7 steals for the contest. Nicholls State was called for 29 fouls in the matchup which took the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 35 attempts. They were able to make 28 of the free throws for a percentage of 80.0%. With respect to shots from distance, Mississippi State converted 2 of 14 attempts (14.3%). When all was said and done, the Bulldogs went 19 for 49 from the floor which had them shooting 38.8%. The Bulldogs allowed Nicholls State to bury 27 out of their 64 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 42.2% in this contest. They finished the game shooting 24.0% from distance by going 6 of 25 and finished the game at 6 out of 9 from the free throw line (66.7%). Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, Mississippi State allowed Nicholls State to snag 29 in total (11 offensive).

Tolu Smith was important for the Bulldogs for this game. He earned 15 points in his 20 minutes on the court, but left the arena with no assists. He converted 4 of 8 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and totaled 8 rebounds.

Mississippi State has a record of 11-0 this season. The Bulldogs are committing 13.3 personal fouls per game and they shoot 67.8% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 15.9 times per contest (58th in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.1 times per contest. Mississippi State has totaled 767 points for the year (69.7 per contest) and they grab 40.7 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Bulldogs are connecting on 43.0% from the floor, which is 259th in college basketball.

The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 3rd in the country in points given up per game with 52.1. They are able to force 16.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 35.8% from the floor (6th in college basketball). The Mississippi State defense concedes 28.0% on 3-point shots (69 of 246) and their opposition knocks down 67.8% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 10.9 dimes and 32.5 boards per game, which is ranked 71st and 100th in the nation.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Drake

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here