Illinois State at Drake

It has already been a long season for the Drake Bulldogs who have opened a woeful 4-14 on the season. The good news is that they have recored all four wins at home where they have been a lot more competitive. They will have to play in the half court at home, at least early and try to limit possessions as they did against Northern Iowa and Wichita State where they were clearly disadvantaged. The first halves of those games saw 57 points, and both of those teams are better offensively than Illinois State. The Redbirds are just 3-3 on the road while Drake is 4-4 at home, so the tempo here will be the key for any Bulldog success, and they will likely be playing in the half court. Play the first half UNDER.