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2021 NCAA Tournament: Best bets for all 4 Opening Round games

By Daniel Benjamin

Michigan State's Gabe Brown, center, dribbles between Aaron Henry, left, and associate head coach Dane Fife before the game against Michigan on Sunday, March 7, 2021, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.210307 Msu Um 015a
Michigan State's Gabe Brown, center, dribbles between Aaron Henry, left, and associate head coach Dane Fife before the game against Michigan on Sunday, March 7, 2021, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.210307 Msu Um 015a /
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NCAA Tournament D.J. Wilkins Drake Bulldogs (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images)
NCAA Tournament D.J. Wilkins Drake Bulldogs (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images) /

West Regional: No. 11 Drake Bulldogs (25-4) vs. No. 11 Wichita State Shockers (16-5)

Opening Line Wichita State -2 Over/Under 139

Drake and Wichita State are meeting for the 152time all-time though 2017 was the last time the teams met. The Shockers have won 11 straight meetings and 15 of 17 to take a 104-47 all-time series.

Wichita State, making its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance, is 18-16 in the previous tourney appearance while Drake is in the “Dance,” where they are 5-4 all-time, for just the second time this century. This is the first time that the teams have met in a first-four game.

Wichita State returns to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus and the first time under the direction of Isaac Brown. WSU earned an at-large bid after being upset by Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference semifinals. The Shockers have won seven of eight.

Wichita State is a small team that goes nine deep. WSU is not a good shooting team, although the Shockers are an outstanding passing squad, above-average from long-distance, and they love to shoot from deep.

The Shockers do a fantastic job at limiting turnovers, getting to the free-throw line, and a slightly above-average offensive team. They are also solid defensively, particularly guarding the 3-point line and coming up with steals. Wichita St .struggles with forcing turnovers and defensive rebounding.

Tyson Etienne leads the way with 17 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.6 dimes. Alterique Gilbert, Dexter Dennis, Morris Udeze, Ricky Council IV, and Trey Wade are the other top contributors.

Drake, ranked in the AP Top 25 this year, earned an at-large berth after losing to Loyola-Chicago in the MVC finals. The Bulldogs is in the NCAA appearance for the first time since 2008 and fifth-time overall. They are 6-2 in their last eight contests as injuries have taken their toll.

Drake is a small, well-balanced team that is fairly deep. The Bulldogs are an outstanding offensive team whose only weakness is getting to the free-throw line. The Dawgs are also strong defensively, particularly defending the 3-point line. Joseph Yesufu leads five-players in double-figures and seven players, averaging over seven points, with 12.1 points. DJ Wilkins, Tremell Murphy, Shanquan Hemphill, Garrett Sturtz, Roman Penn, and Darnell Brodie are other key contributors.

Pick: The line has drained dramatically changed going from Wichita State being favored by a couple of points to Drake expected to win by 2.5. The Shockers have exceeded expectations this year, while the Bulldogs have stumbled down the stretch after losing Hemphill and Penn to injuries recently.

However, Hemphill (foot) is expected to play against Wichita State, which will give Drake the boost it needs. While I believe that this contest will be a decent high-scoring affair, I’m going past on the over/under as the line has increased by two points to 141.

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