Drake Bulldogs vs Missouri Tigers Prediction, Odds and Picks for Tomorrow, 03/20/25

One of the premiere first round games is the Drake Bulldogs vs the Missouri Tigers on Thursday. Drake might be the trendiest upset pick for people filling out brackets, but I think that is misguided. Drake is, to be sure, one of the better mid-major teams out there, and Missouri has seemed quite vulnerable of late. But I think this is a spot where we are likely to get baited into chasing the underdog, only to find the favorite is a favorite for a reason. My Drake vs Missouri pick is Missouri to cover the 6.5-point spread.

Repeatedly in the first round, the committee paired up teams with very opposite profiles, and maybe none more extreme than this one. Missouri plays elite offense with a vulnerable defense, while Drake plays at the slowest tempo in the entire nation. But the differences go deeper. Missouri attacks in multiple ways, and they can score both inside and outside the arc. Their weakness is their poor defense, led in particular by their poor defensive rebounding. Drake, on the other hand, is an elite rebounding team on the season. But Drake also counts on creating a lot of turnovers, which the Tigers do not typically commit. Personally, I think this Missouri team has flown under the radar, overshadowed by the other SEC juggernauts, and I think Drake is largely untested and maybe overrated. Their non-conference slate was unimpressive, and it boasted wins over Miami (before we knew they were awful), Florida Atlantic (who wasn’t as good as we thought in November), and Vanderbilt. Missouri is going to score, and when they do, I don’t see how Drake continues to drag their feet and play slow. Give me Missouri.

Drake vs Missouri prediction: Missouri -6.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

You can bet on our Drake vs Missouri pick with BetMGM, where right now new users can activate your new BetMGM account ⚡ and receive $150 in bonus bets INSTANTLY if your first wager is a winner!