The Drake Bulldogs (25-4) battle the Wichita State Shockers (16-5) in a First Four NCAA Tournament showdown between 11 seeds in the West Region Thursday. Tip-off is set for 6:27 p.m. ET at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., and will be aired on TBS. Below, we analyze the Drake-Wichita State odds and lines, with March Madness NCAA Tournament picks and predictions.
Drake finished second behind Loyola-Chicago in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 15-3 conference record. Wichita State was the American Athletic Conference regular-season champ at 11-2 but was upset in the AAC semifinals by Cincinnati 60-59.
Drake won its first 18 games before losing to Valparaiso Feb. 7. Then the Bulldogs were dealt two huge body blows. Senior F ShanQuan Hemphill, the team’s leading scorer, and junior PG Roman Penn suffered the same season-ending injury, a broken foot, within 12 days of each other.
Hemphill averaged a team-high 14.1 points per game with 6.3 RPG. Penn led the ‘Dogs in assists (5.5 APG) and steals (1.4 SPG) and also scored 11.2 PPG. With the duo out, sophomore G Joseph Yesufu picked up the slack, scoring 23.1 PPG in the last seven games.
There is a chance Hemphill returns to play Thursday.
Wichita State put together an 8-game win streak before losing to Cincy in the AAC semifinals. The Shockers’ most impressive victory during the season was a 68-63 home upset as 7-point underdogs against then-No. 5 Houston Feb. 18.
Sophomore G Tyson Etienne scores a team-high 17.0 PPG for the Shockers. Senior G Alterique Gilbert is the only other Shocker scoring in double figures (10.3. PPG) and leads the team in assists (4.1 APG) and steals (1.5 SPG). Senior F Trey Wade is the top rebounder (5.6 RPG).
The Drake-Wichita State winner advances to a Saturday Round 1 matchup against sixth-seeded USC (22-7) for a 4:30 p.m. ET tip-off at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Drake vs. Wichita State: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:30 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Drake -140 (bet $140 to win $100) | Wichita State +115 (bet $100 to win $115)
- Against the spread/ATS: Drake -2 (-110) | Wichita State +2 (-110)
- Over/Under: 140.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Drake vs. Wichita State: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Drake 73, Wichita State 67
Money line (ML)
Drake wins if Hemphill plays or not, but AVOID the Bulldogs’ -140 ML. We’ll make money on the spread below.
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Against the spread (ATS)
DRAKE -2 (-110) is the STRONGEST PLAY – 1½ times your usual wager. The Bulldogs made us good money during the season. There were concerns after the Hemphill and Penn injuries, but they still went 5-2 ATS in their final seven regular-season games.
The Shockers, who lost their last two games, went 3-7 ATS in their final 10 contests.
ATS records: Drake 20-6-1 | Wichita State 9-9-1
Over/Under (O/U)
PASS. The projection has this finishing right near the O/U line of 140.5. If you must, the lean would be Under because of a neutral floor and expected early nerves.
O/U records: Drake 17-10 | Wichita State 9-10
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| JOHNNY PARLAY’S RECORD | W-L | SP | ROI |
| College hoops since Jan. 1 | 70-60-1 | 31-33 | +4.275 |
| 2021 record (all sports) | 90-74-1 | 43-36 | +14.6 |
| *–SP: Strongest plays; ROI: Return on investment | |||
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