Drake vs PFW 3/19/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons & Drake Bulldogs will square off at the Ocean Center this Saturday afternoon in the 1^st round of the Roman CBI Tournament.

The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons finished their regular season with an overall record of 21-11 while finishing Horizon League play with a 15-6 record. Purdue Fort Wayne earned the 2-seed in the Horizon League Championship and defeated the UIC Flames by 78-72 margin in the Quarterfinals, however, the Mastodons could not reach the finals after being defeated by the 3-seed Northern Kentucky Norse by a 57-43 margin in the Semifinals. Purdue Fort Wayne went 5-4 in their non-conference schedule and had their most impressive wins in conference play, with their most impressive victory coming against Cleveland State at home in mid-February.

On the season, Purdue Fort Wayne is averaging 73.7 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The Mastodons are averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game on 37.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Purdue Fort Wayne has been led by Jarred Godfrey (15.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.9 spg), Jalon Pipkins (13.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.6 spg), Damian Chong Qui (10.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.1 spg), & Deonte Billups (9.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.3 spg).

Defensively, Purdue Fort Wayne is allowing their opponents to average 69.1 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field. The Mastodons have a rebound margin of -2.5 and a turnover margin of 2.3.

The Drake Bulldogs finished their regular season with an overall record of 24-10 and Missouri Valley Conference play with a 13-5 record. Drake earned the 3-seed in the Missouri Valley Championship and picked up impressive wins over Southern Illinois & Missouri State, however, the Bulldogs could not punch their ticket the NCAA Championship after being defeated by the 4-seed Loyola Chicago Ramblers by a 64-58 margin in the finals. Drake went 9-4 in their non-conference schedule while their best wins of the season came against Richmond, Northern Iowa, & Loyola Chicago.

On the season, Drake is averaging 73.5 ppg on 45.4% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game on 33.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Drake has been led by Tucker Devries (13.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg), Roman Penn (11.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Garrett Sturtz (10.9 ppg, 7.3 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 66.2 ppg on 42.8% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 2.8 and a turnover margin of 2.7.

The Mastodons are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up loss, however, are just 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral stie games as an underdog. The Bulldogs are 11-24-1 ATS in their last 36 games overall & 6-15 ATS in their last 21 games as a favorite.

Purdue Fort Wayne has been led by their offense which ranks 108^th in scoring offense, 74^th in FG%, & 17^th in three-pointers made per game, however, the Mastodons have a struggled a bit defensively as they come into this matchup ranked just 174^th in scoring defense & 279^th in defensive FG%. Drake has been solid on both ends of the court as the Bulldogs come into this game ranked 112^th in scoring offense, 84^th in scoring defense, & 41^st in turnover margin.

Drake is the better team here, however, Purdue Fort Wayne has an impressive offense that should keep this game competitive and as I think this is just too many points for Drake to cover, I’m taking Purdue Fort Wayne. Good Luck!