Drake vs UNC Wilmington 3/21/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Drake Bulldogs & UNC Wilmington Seahawks will square off at the Ocean Center in the Quarterfinals of the Roman CBI Tournament this Monday afternoon.

The Drake Bulldogs improved to 25-10 on the season after defeating the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, 87-65, this past Saturday. Drake was lights out on the offensive end against Purdue Fort Wayne and had no trouble pulling away for the victory in the 2^nd half after going into halftime with a 41-28 lead. Drake shot 59.0% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Purdue Fort Wayne to shoot 41.5% from the field & 31.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Tucker Devries who had 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Drake is averaging 73.9 ppg on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 7.0 three-pointers per game on 34.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Drake has been led by Tucker Devries (13.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.0 spg), Roman Penn (11.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Garrett Sturtz (11.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.5 spg), & D.J. Wilkins (10.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.9 apg).

Defensively, Drake is holding their opponents to an average of 66.1 ppg on 42.8% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 2.8 and a turnover margin of 2.6.

The UNC Wilmington Seahawks improved to 24-9 on the season after defeating the VMI Keydets, 93-78, on Sunday afternoon. UNC Wilmington was solid on the offensive end against the Keydets and the Seahawks were able to pull away in the 2^nd half after taking a 75-63 lead with 7:26 left in regulation. UNC Wilmington shot 47.7% from the field & 40.0% from beyond the arc while allowing VMI to shoot 40.0% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Seahawks was Mike Okauru who had 27 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, & 2 steals.

Coming into their game against VMI, UNC Wilmington was averaging 70.3 ppg on 41.8% shooting from the field. The Seahawks were averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 32.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UNC Wilmington has been led by Jaylen Sims (16.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.0 spg), Mike Okauru (12.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.4 spg), Shykeim Phillips (11.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.9 spg), & Jaylen Fornes (8.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg).

Defensively, prior to their game against VMI, UNC Wilmington is allowing their opponents to average 68.0 ppg on 44.1% shooting from the field. The Seahawks had a rebound margin of -3.3 and a turnover margin of 3.2.

The Bulldogs are 5-1 ATS in thier last 6 Monday games & 20-9 ATS in thier last 29 games following a ATS win. The Seahawks are 15-3 ATS in thier last 18 games following a ATS win & 19-7 ATS in thier last 26 games overall.

Drake has been solid on both ends of the court this season as the Bulldogs come into this game ranked 100^th in scoring offense, 77^th in FG%, & 81^st in scoring defense. UNC Wilmington has been led by their defense which ranks 138^th in scoring defense, 70^th in steals per game, & 22^nd in turnover margin, however, the offense has struggled at times as the Seahawks rank just 198^th in scoring offense & 285^th in FG%.

UNC Wilmington was one of the better teams in the CAA this season, however, this is still a team that can struggle to score the basketball and should have it’s hands full against a Drake team that does a good jo protecting the basketball and should have an advantage on the boards. Drake is the more balanced team and as I think the Bulldogs win the battle on both ends of the court, I think Drake wins this one by around 10 and covers this spread. Good Luck!