| MATCHUP | Belmont Bruins | Drake Bulldogs |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 15-3 | 8-9 |
| Where | Knapp Center, Des Moines, IA | |
| When | Saturday, January 10, 2026 | |
| Time | 06:00 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The Belmont Bruins and the Drake Bulldogs meet Saturday in college basketball action from Knapp Center in Des Moines. Here’s a Belmont vs Drake prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Belmont vs Drake pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.
Belmont Bruins Betting Preview
Belmont started out the season on a great run. The Bruins were able to record victories in each of their first eight outings before taking their first loss of the year versus Richmond on December 3. Since then it’s been a 6-2 run featuring wins over Middle Tennessee, UIC, Evansville, UC Irvine, Bradley and Northern Iowa. In the first 17 games of the year that gives Belmont a 14-3 record so far.
In the Northern Iowa game on Wednesday the Bruins entered the second half with a 36-32 edge. Belmont held off the Panthers with a 42-33 run the rest of the way and took a nice road win 78-65 in the end. Belmont’s leading scorer was Jack Smiley with 19 points, six assists and three rebounds. Drew Scharnowski added 18 points with nine rebounds and three assists while Tyler Lundblade had 14 points.
Drake Bulldogs Betting Preview
Over on the Drake side, they kicked off their season on a 6-3 run across the first nine outings. The losses during that time came courtesy of Robert Morris, SIU Edwardsville and LSU. Since then the Bulldogs are 2-5 however, taking losses to UAB, North Dakota State, Murray State, Illinois State and Bradley. Over their first 16 outings so far the Bulldogs are 8-8 for a .500 run on the season.
Matched up against Bradley on Wednesday the Bulldogs came into the second with a major deficit 40-19. Drake didn’t get any closer than that on a 53-47 run the rest of the way and lost 93-66 in the end. Leading the team in the losing effort was Jaehshon Thomas with 18 points, three rebounds and two assists. Andrew Alia had 12 points with six rebounds over 28 minutes in the loss as well.
Belmont Bruins @ Drake Bulldogs Betting Trends: January 10, 2026
Why the Drake Bulldogs will win
- Drake has won each of its last seven day games against the Missouri Valley Conference.
Why the Belmont Bruins will win
- Belmont has won five of its last six day games.
- Drake has lost three of its last four home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Drake has lost the first half in each of its last four home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Belmont vs Drake Prediction
I’ll stay with Belmont. The Bruins beat a pretty good Northern Iowa team in a road matchup during their last outing, hitting a nice 60 percent from the field and 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from outside along with a 31-22 rebounding edge and just four turnovers. The only spot to really complain about was the 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from the line. Otherwise it was an exemplary outing. Belmont is sitting on a rocky 2-2 run over their last four games, but the two losses were each by one point, and one came in overtime on the road versus Indiana State.
As for Drake, they shot just 35.8 percent from the field with a 39-31 rebounding deficit and 13 turnovers in their loss to Bradley, all while getting demolished in the paint 34-14. Drake is also 2-2 in their last four games, but they’ve scored fewer than 67 points in three of those four. I don’t know that the Bulldogs can keep pace in this one.