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How and what to watch for No. 25 Drake vs. Valparaiso

Drake finds itself inside the top 25 and will look to keep an undefeated record against Valparaiso.

By Erik Buchinger Updated

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Drake Bulldogs guard Roman Penn drives to the basket as Bradley Braves guard Danya Kingsby defends during the first half at Enterprise Center.  Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Drake Bulldogs cracked their way into the top 25 after winning each of their first 17 games this season and will head on the road for a matchup with the Valparaiso Crusaders on Saturday afternoon. The two will play again Sunday afternoon as well in a rare back-to-back doubleheader with both games at Valpo.

Drake (17-0, 8-0 Missouri Valley) has been a fun story in college basketball and a fantastic team for sports bettors, as the Bulldogs have covered the spread in 14 of 15 games against Division 1 opponents. Drake drilled the Illinois State Redbirds 95-60 on Monday, with Tremell Murphy scoring a career-high 30 points on 10-of-15 field goals including 6-of-10 from the three-point line with eight rebounds.

Valparaiso (6-11, 3-5 Missouri Valley) had a three-game winning streak before consecutive losses to the Evansville Purple Aces last weekend. On Sunday, the Crusaders were defeated by Evansville 58-51. Donovan Clay led Valparaiso with 14 points on 7 of 14 field goals. Ben Krikke scored just six points in 26 minutes, and Valparaiso will need more from their leading scorer heading into this matchup.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Drake vs. Valparaiso on Saturday, February 6th at 2:00 p.m. ET on ESPN3, a streaming only channel 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: Drake -13
Point Total: 135.5
Money line: Drake vs. Valparaiso

  • Drake is 17-0 straight up this season and is 14-1 against the spread in the last 15 games.
  • The point total went under in six of Drake’s last seven games, and the over cashed in four of Valparaiso’s last five games.
  • Valparaiso is 3-8 straight up and against the spread in their last 11 games.

The Best Bet

Drake has sliced and diced their way through the Missouri Valley this season and will be facing one of the league’s weaker foes for the first of back-to-back games.

They’ve been money against the spread this season and they can definitely cover once again on Saturday.

Pick: Drake -13

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