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Missouri Valley Conference Final: Drake Bulldogs vs. Loyola Ramblers Game Preview
Drake Eyes First MVC Tournament Title Since 2008
Loyola leads the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring margin while Drake ranks third. The Ramblers are tops in the MVC in both field-goal percentage offense and defense. Drake averages nearly five more shots per game so the faster the game is played, the more than should favor the Bulldogs.
Guard play is important and both the Bulldogs and Ramblers are in good shape. Loyola’s Braden Norris leads the MVC in assist/turnover ratio and is second in assists. Roman Penn of Drake is third in assists and fourth in assists/turnover ratio.
After the semifinal win, Loyola jumped from 29th to 25th in the NCAA NET rankings, which is a tool helpful with March Madness predictions with a 2-2 record in Quad 1 games and a 6-1 mark in Quad 2 contests. Drake is just 82nd in the NET rankings.
March Madness odds don’t favor two MVC teams reaching the NCAA tournament so this game has taken on added meaning.
Ball Security Keys Drake’s Run to MVC Final
Drake led the Missouri Valley Conference in turnover margin and committed the fewest turnovers per game so it is not surprising that the Bulldogs’ ball security played a role in their two wins in the MVC tournament.
Drake committed just seven turnovers in a 65-52 win against Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals and topped that with only five turnovers in a one-point win over Missouri State in overtime. The extra 10 field-goal attempts proved to be crucial considering that Missouri State shot 51% from the field compared to 41% for Drake.
The Bulldogs improved to 10-1 when committing fewer than 10 turnovers. Drake averaged just 9.3 turnovers over its last 12 games to move one game from the program’s second straight NCAA tournament appearance.
Drake’s conference tournament championship in 2021 was its first since 2008 and the Bulldogs are eager to be a part of the March Madness bracket once again.
Drake is 5-2 against the college basketball spreads in its last seven games.
Loyola Getting Defensive
Playing defending champion in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament has been quite the struggle for the Ramblers’ first two opponents.
After forcing Bradley into 15 turnovers and coming up with 11 steals in a 16-point win in the quarterfinals, Loyola took things up a notch in the semifinals against Northern Iowa to move a win away from another NCAA tournament appearance.
Loyola is 1 win from punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 3rd time in 5 years.
Braden Norris scored 19 points, and the 4th-seeded Ramblers never trailed in a 66-43 rout of top-seeded Northern Iowa in the MVC Tournament semifinals.
https://t.co/480jDPkL9c— Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) March 6, 2022
The tournament’s top seed was just 13-of-56 from the field and 4-of-24 on 3-pointers as Loyola cruised to the 66-43 win.
Seeing the Ramblers flex their defensive muscles is not a new phenomenon. Loyola is second in the MVC in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense and is first in 3-point percentage defense. The 3-point defensive numbers improved during the tournament as Loyola’s two opponents were 8 of 44 from 3-point range.
MVC Player of the Year AJ Green finished with 13 points on 4-of-20 shooting, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range. Green came into the game averaging 19 points while shooting 42% including 38% from 3-point range.
Loyola is 5-10 against the Las Vegas odds in its last 15 games.
Drake Bulldogs vs. Loyola Ramblers Tigers Head-to-Head
Drake has won three of the last meetings with Loyola including both wins in 2022. Drake won on January 30 at home as a two-point underdog and took the rematch on the road as a 7½-point underdog.
The Bulldogs covered in each of those three wins.
Something that could be of interest to those who bet online the last three games in the series went over the total with three of the last four contests being decided by single digits.
Drake Bulldogs vs. Loyola Ramblers Game Information
- Game: Drake (24-9) at Loyola (24-7)
- Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
- Day/Time: Sunday, March 6, 2 p.m. ET
- Television: CBS
Drake Bulldogs vs. Loyola Ramblers Betting Lines
Drake Bulldogs vs. Loyola Ramblers Prediction
Drake will be without a key performer as D.J. Wilkins, the Bulldogs’ fourth-leading scorer and a highly regarded perimeter defender. He is out for the season due to a knee injury.
Drake says D.J. Wilkins will miss remainder of season due to injury. The senior guard suffered a torn ACL in Saturday's game vs Southern Illinois.
Drake has been dealt more than its share of injuries in DeVries era.
Photo: AP pic.twitter.com/6tolkCUr0e
— Keith Murphy (@MurphyKeith) March 1, 2022
Four of Loyola’s last five games went under the total while eight of Drake’s last 10 contests went under as well but the total of 135 is on the low side.
Drake is 6-1 in games decided by three points or less and is 4-2 in overtime games this season so if this comes down to the wire, watch out for the Bulldogs.
