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How and what to watch for No. 22 Loyola vs. Drake

If you’re following the NCAA Tournament bubble, Loyola and Drake could enter the tournament from the Missouri Valley.

By Erik Buchinger

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Loyola Ramblers guard Braden Norris works the ball against Wisconsin Badgers guard D’Mitrik Trice during the second half at the Kohl Center. Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

The two best teams in the Missouri Valley will match up on Saturday, February 13th when the Loyola Ramblers head on the road to take on the Drake Bulldogs. The conference could get two teams into the field, so this is a huge matchup for both sides. They will see each other again on Sunday.

Drake (19-1, 10-1 Missouri Valley) found their way into the Top 25 last week and won their first 17 games of the season before taking a 74-57 road loss to the Valparaiso Crusaders on Sunday. Drake got back on track with an 80-59 win at home over the Northern Iowa Panthers on Wednesday. Tremell Murphy and Joseph Yesufu each scored 18 points to lead Drake. The Bulldogs are No. 57 in the latest KenPom ratings.

Loyola (17-3, 12-1 Missouri Valley) became a ranked team for the first time this season earlier this week and hasn’t played since Sunday. The Ramblers swept the Evansville Purple Aces last weekend to earn their 10th straight win. Braden Norris went for 19 points on 6 of 9 shooting to lead Loyola. The Ramblers check in as the No. 15 team in the latest KenPom ratings with the eighth best defense in terms of adjusted efficiency.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Loyola vs. Drake on Saturday, February 13th at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2, or you can stream it via the ESPN app with a cable or streaming service login. If you don’t have a cable login to access the ESPN app, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream it.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Loyola -4.5
Point Total: 133.5
Money line: Loyola -210, Drake +165

  • Loyola is 6-1 straight up and 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games.
  • Loyola won each of their last 10 games straight up and is 10-3-1 against the spread in the last 14.
  • The over hit in eight of Loyola’s last 10 games, and the under cashed in four of the last six Drake games.
  • Drake is 19-1 straight up in their last 20 games and 15-3 against the spread in their last 18.

The Best Bet

It’s the first of back-to-back games between these two teams, and expect Loyola’s defense to do just enough to allow for them to cover the 2.5 point spread.

Pick: Loyola -4.5

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