Drake Bulldogs vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, 3/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Drake Bulldogs vs Washington State Cougars

Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024

Location: CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, NE

TV: truTV

Odds/Point Spread: Drake (+1)

The Washington State Cougars (24-9) will go up against the Drake Bulldogs (28-6) at CHI Health Center Omaha on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament. Drake opens this contest as 1-point underdogs. The over/under is set at 137.5.

The Drake Bulldogs played Indiana State and took home the win by a score of 84-80 in their last game. Drake finished with a 51.7% field goal percentage (31 out of 60) and made 11 of their 18 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Bulldogs knocked down 11 of their 13 attempts for a rate of 84.6%. In terms of hauling in boards, they earned 27 with 4 of them being offensive. They also recorded 12 assists in this game while forcing 11 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In regard to the defense, Drake allowed the other team to go 52.5% from the field on 31 of 59 shooting. Indiana State distributed 13 assists and had 7 steals in this contest. Furthermore, Indiana State had 32 rebounds (6 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't have a block. Indiana State finished shooting 73.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 11 of their 15 tries. They also buried 7 of 24 attempts from beyond the arc. With respect to fouls, the Bulldogs ended up finishing with 15 and Indiana State accounted for 15 fouls.

Tucker DeVries is someone who had an impact for this game. He ended up walking away with 27 points on 11 of 19 shooting. He was on the court for 33 mins played and also collected 7 rebounds. He ended up shooting 57.9% from the floor and totaled 5 dimes.

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Drake will enter this contest with a win-loss record of 28-6 for the year. They average 80.5 points per contest (36th in Division 1) while shooting 47.9% from the field. The Bulldogs are shooting 36.7% on 3-pointers (295 of 804) and 76.0% from the free throw line. As a unit, Drake is pulling in 34.4 boards per contest and has earned 541 assists so far this year, which is 19th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 9.7 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 16.1 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Bulldogs are forcing 12.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.3 fouls. They are 37th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 358 conceded for the season. The Bulldogs are giving up a shooting percentage of 44.4% (864 of 1,945) and they relinquish 32.6 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are surrendering 32.9% from beyond the arc and they rank 131st in the nation in PPG allowed (70.5).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Washington State Cougars walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 58-52 against Colorado. In relation to attacking the glass, Washington State allowed Colorado to snag 25 in total (6 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 20.0% from beyond the perimeter by going 3 of 15 and finished the game at 11 of 17 at the charity stripe (64.7%). The Cougars permitted Colorado to make 22 out of 51 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 43.1% in the game. When the final whistle was blown, the Cougars ended up going 22 out of 52 from the floor which had them shooting 42.3%. In the matter of shots from 3-point land, Washington State converted 4 of their 19 tries (21.1%). They were able to knock down 4 of those for a rate of 57.1%. Colorado had 10 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for 7 tries. They coughed up the ball 18 times, while recording 5 steals in the matchup. The Cougars were able to snag 22 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 in the matchup.

Isaac Jones pitched in for the Cougars for the matchup. He racked up 13 points in his 37 mins of playing time and added 1 assist for the matchup. He buried 6 out of 9 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 66.7%, and earned 4 rebounds.

Washington State has a mark of 24-9 on the season. The Cougars are committing 16.8 fouls every game and they shoot 70.1% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 12.5 times per contest (232nd in college basketball) and they turn the ball over 10.8 times per game. Washington State has accumulated 2,452 points for the season (74.3 per game) and they collect 37.7 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Cougars are connecting on 46.6% from the field, which ranks them 70th in the nation.

The Cougars on the defensive side of the court are 45th in the country in PPG given up with 66.9. They are forcing their opponents into 10.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.2% from the field (91st in Division 1). The Washington State defense surrenders 32.0% on three-point shots (188 of 587) and their opposition makes 73.5% of their free throw shots. They allow 10.5 assists and 31.6 boards per game, which is ranked 17th and 26th in Division 1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Washington State (-1)

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