Eric SchroederToday's Winner: Won 5 straight
My*200 Dime Winner*is on the*DRAKE BULLDOGS*in their Missouri Valley Conference showdown against the Northern Iowa Panthers.*As I release this play at 4 am pacific, the number I see is Drake -2.5.
My breakdown of this play...
Drake is looking for its first win in the series since the 2013-14 season. Northern Iowa took the first meeting this season, 68-54, in Cedar Falls. The Panthers have owned this series. Until today. Drake is going to make a statement.
The Bulldogs own a 8-2 mark at the Knapp Center this season, and are scoring 77.3 points per game on their home court. Northern Iowa, experiencing a down year, is averaging 64.8 points per game after knocking off Bradley, 74-65, Wednesday night. The Panthers are just 4-9 in Missouri Valley Conference play, while Drake checks in at 7-6.
The Bulldogs are looking to avenge a 72-57 loss at league-leader Loyola-Chicago, so I expect them to be doubly fired up for this one.
I'm looking for a big game out of Reed Timmer, the current MVC co-Player of the Week. Timmer became the Bulldogs’ all-time leading scorer last weekend at Bradley and now has 1,828 career points. He ranks 15th among active Division I players in career scoring.
He leads a Drake team that is the top scoring team in the MVC at 73.8 points per game. The Bulldogs rank 10th nationally in free throw percentage at 77.8 percent. And against MVC competition, the Bulldogs have shot 80 percent or better six times.
They've been sharing the ball well of late, as Drake has had 20 or more assists in three of the last 10 games and ranks second in the conference in assists per game at 15.5 per game.
At the other end, Drake is undefeated when stifling opponents to less than 40 percent shooting this season, and make note the team has held five league foes below 40 percent.
I do realize UNI has the ninth-best scoring defense in the land, but it is coming into hostile territory, and because it has the 334th scoring offense in the country, it will have a tough time keeping up.
The Panthers struggle to share the ball, they're not intimidating in the paint, they don't pressure the ball enough to create anything in transition. They're just not the same Northern Iowa team we've become accustomed to seeing annually.
Drake will treat this as its big game, and has nothing to look ahead to, as its next game isn't until Wednesday, at home against Indiana State.
This is a game that has been circled, and Drake will thrive.
My*200 Dime Winner*is on the*DRAKE BULLDOGS*in their Missouri Valley Conference showdown against the Northern Iowa Panthers.*As I release this play at 4 am pacific, the number I see is Drake -2.5.
My breakdown of this play...
Drake is looking for its first win in the series since the 2013-14 season. Northern Iowa took the first meeting this season, 68-54, in Cedar Falls. The Panthers have owned this series. Until today. Drake is going to make a statement.
The Bulldogs own a 8-2 mark at the Knapp Center this season, and are scoring 77.3 points per game on their home court. Northern Iowa, experiencing a down year, is averaging 64.8 points per game after knocking off Bradley, 74-65, Wednesday night. The Panthers are just 4-9 in Missouri Valley Conference play, while Drake checks in at 7-6.
The Bulldogs are looking to avenge a 72-57 loss at league-leader Loyola-Chicago, so I expect them to be doubly fired up for this one.
I'm looking for a big game out of Reed Timmer, the current MVC co-Player of the Week. Timmer became the Bulldogs’ all-time leading scorer last weekend at Bradley and now has 1,828 career points. He ranks 15th among active Division I players in career scoring.
He leads a Drake team that is the top scoring team in the MVC at 73.8 points per game. The Bulldogs rank 10th nationally in free throw percentage at 77.8 percent. And against MVC competition, the Bulldogs have shot 80 percent or better six times.
They've been sharing the ball well of late, as Drake has had 20 or more assists in three of the last 10 games and ranks second in the conference in assists per game at 15.5 per game.
At the other end, Drake is undefeated when stifling opponents to less than 40 percent shooting this season, and make note the team has held five league foes below 40 percent.
I do realize UNI has the ninth-best scoring defense in the land, but it is coming into hostile territory, and because it has the 334th scoring offense in the country, it will have a tough time keeping up.
The Panthers struggle to share the ball, they're not intimidating in the paint, they don't pressure the ball enough to create anything in transition. They're just not the same Northern Iowa team we've become accustomed to seeing annually.
Drake will treat this as its big game, and has nothing to look ahead to, as its next game isn't until Wednesday, at home against Indiana State.
This is a game that has been circled, and Drake will thrive.
Dave Aquino
Feb10 - NBA:
Feb10 - NHL:
Feb10 - NCAAB: LA-Monroe/Georgia State over 133.5, San Francisco/BYU over 134.5, Western Carolina/NC-Greensboro over 134, North Texas/Middle Tennessee over 135.5, UConn/Wichita State over 142, Virginia Tech/Virginia over 129.5
Feb10 - NBA:
Feb10 - NHL:
Feb10 - NCAAB: LA-Monroe/Georgia State over 133.5, San Francisco/BYU over 134.5, Western Carolina/NC-Greensboro over 134, North Texas/Middle Tennessee over 135.5, UConn/Wichita State over 142, Virginia Tech/Virginia over 129.5
Feb10 - NBA: pelicans/nets under 220
Feb10 - NHL: kings/lightning over 5.5, predators/canadiens under 5.5, flyers/coyotes over 5.5
Feb10 - NBA:
Feb10 - NHL:
Feb10 - NCAAB: LA-Monroe/Georgia State over 133.5, San Francisco/BYU over 134.5, Western Carolina/NC-Greensboro over 134, North Texas/Middle Tennessee over 135.5, UConn/Wichita State over 142, Virginia Tech/Virginia over 129.5
Feb10 - NBA:
Feb10 - NHL:
Feb10 - NCAAB: LA-Monroe/Georgia State over 133.5, San Francisco/BYU over 134.5, Western Carolina/NC-Greensboro over 134, North Texas/Middle Tennessee over 135.5, UConn/Wichita State over 142, Virginia Tech/Virginia over 129.5
Feb10 - NBA: pelicans/nets under 220
Feb10 - NHL: kings/lightning over 5.5, predators/canadiens under 5.5, flyers/coyotes over 5.5
