Bradley vs Drake Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for MVC Title Game

• Bradley takes on Drake in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Sunday at 2:15 pm ET in St. Louis

• Drake has won the last two MVC Tournament titles and is a slight favorite over the Braves

• I’m locked with my Bradley vs Drake prediction and best bet, plus the full slate of odds

The top-seeded Drake Bulldogs (29-3, 15-13 ATS) take on the Bradley Braves (27-7, 14-15-1 ATS) in the championship game “Arch Madness” on Sunday in the Missouri Valley Conference title game. The two teams split regular season meetings, but Drake is a slight favorite to claim the automatic bid out of the MVC. Get an early glimpse at March Madness with my Drake vs Bradley prediction, including a look at the best odds available.

Drake vs Bradley Prediction

• Drake -1.5 (-110) at FanDuel

• Over 122.5 (-110) at FanDuel
  

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I just love these types of conference tournament finals. Two well-coached teams with their own identity who played twice already get to settle it in the conference final. Drake has 29 wins, the most of any team in the nation, and has been in the conference final five times in a row.

The Bulldogs also have the second best defense in the nation allowing 59 points a game. They rallied from nine points down in the semifinals to beat Belmont. Drake has won too many games not to be considered a real threat. They have wins over Kansas State and Vandy. They’re good.

You can go either way with this total. It’s the third meeting of the season, and that can sometimes mean the defenses lock down (because there aren’t many surprises left) but I’m comfortable going with the over here. I can’t see both teams in the 50s with so much at stake.

Drake vs Bradley Odds

Odds from DraftKings on March 9. Gear up for March Madness with our best DraftKings promo code.

This is the third meeting of the season. Drake was favored by 5.5 at home (and won by two). Bradley was favored by 1.5 at home (and won by seven). Drake is only 15-13 against the spread and 12-16 O/U. They have lost three of their last four games against the number. Bradley has won three of its last four against the spread, while each of the Braves’ last four games has hit the over.

I see Drake as 2.5-point favorites at DraftKings, but only 1.5 at FanDuel. The total is also lower at FanDuel by a point. There’s real value here.

Drake vs Bradley Players to Watch

When they use a Larry Bird stat, I have to pay attention.

Drake 6-4 junior guard Bennett Stirtz is the reigning MVC Player of the Year. He is just the second person in conference history to go over 600 points, 180 assists and 70 steals in a season. Who was the first? Bird at Indiana State.

However, the only team to hold Stirtz under 10 points is Bradley. They held him to four and eight points in both meetings, respectively. Stirtz is a transfer from Northwest Missouri State and was MIAA (the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, of course) Freshman of the Year. He can play.

Bradley has won eight of its last nine games. They came back to beat 11 seed Valpo in the semifinals after trailing by as many as 11 points.

Bradley has a star guard as well, 5-foot-8 senior floor general Duke Deen, who averages 14.2 points a game. The Braves haven’t won a conference tournament title since 2020.

This is the oldest rivalry in the MVC. Drake knocked off Bradley in the conference semis last year, 72-67.

Even if Drake loses, they’re still probably not getting into the NCAA Tournament. The MVC is usually a one-bid league, that makes the stakes for this game as high as can be.