Drake (13-2) vs Evansville (6-10)
Game Info: Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 6:00 pm (Knapp Center)
Betting Odds: Drake -16 -- Over/Under: 121 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: ESPN+
The Evansville Purple Aces and the Drake Bulldogs meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Knapp Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Evansville vs. Drake prediction.
Evansville Recap
The Evansville Purple Aces come into this game looking to build on their 69-51 win over Illinois State last time out to improve to 6-10 on the year. After this game, Evansville will head on the road to take on Northern Iowa.
Aces Looking To Build Momentum With Huge Road Upset
Gabriel Pozzato leads the Aces in scoring with 15.4 PPG along with 3.8 RPG while Cam Haffner has 12.7 PPG. Tayshawn Comer has 13.5 PPG with 3.8 APG, leading the Aces in assists while also capping off the trio of double-digit scorers for Evansville up to this point in the year. Tanner Cuff has 9.1 PPG with Cuff logging a team-high 6.2 RPG and 2.9 APG to lead the Aces in rebounding. Joshua Hughes also has 7.6 PPG and 5.5 RPG on the year. As a team, Evansville is averaging 65.2 PPG on 42.2% shooting from the field, 29.3% from three, and 67.6% from the foul line this season.
Why the Evansville Purple Aces will win
- Evansville has won three of its last four games.
Drake Recap
The Drake Bulldogs will be out to build on their 64-57 win over Bradley last time out to improve to 13-2 on the year. After this game, Drake will head home for a matchup against Illinois State.
Bulldogs Looking To Pick Up Steam
Bennett Stirtz leads the Bulldogs in scoring and assists with 17.3 PPG and 6.2 APG along with 4.1 RPG while Mitch Mascari has 11.5 PPG and Daniel Abreu has 11.2 PPG with 3.3 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Drake up to this point in the year. Davion Banks has added 9.3 PPG with 4.1 RPG while Cam Manyawu has 9.1 PPG with a team-leading 6.2 RPG to lead the Bulldogs on the glass up to this point in the year. As a team, Drake is averaging 71.9 PPG on 48.8% shooting from the field, 33.6% from three, and 70% from the foul line so far this season.
Why the Drake Bulldogs will win
- Drake has won each of its last 11 games against Evansville.
- Evansville has lost each of its last eight games at Knapp Center.
Total Points Facts
- Thirty-two of Drake's last 33 games against Conference opponents at Knapp Center have produced a total of 122+ points.
- Each of Evansville's last 16 Saturday road games against the Missouri Valley Conference have produced a total of 122+ points.
Evansville vs. Drake Prediction
I’m leaning towards Evansville and the points here. I hate to admit it but maybe I was wrong about Evansville and maybe the Aces are starting to figure some things out as we’ve started to see the Aces play some inspired basketball as of late. Sure, their three conference wins have come against the three worst teams in the MVC and two of those teams are winless in conference, but their two conference losses came by a combined 6 points against two other 3-2 teams in MVC Play. Drake already lost outright as a double-digit favorite to Murray State not that long ago, and while I’m not saying Evansville wins outright here, I think they can keep it respectable. Give me Evansville and the points.
Chris’s Pick Evansville +16
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
