Even though it’s the very popular #12/#5 upset special, Friday’s NCAA Tournament first round matchup between Drake and Miami seems like the offshore sportsbooks are setting the bait. The Hurricanes (25-7) clinched a share of the competitive ACC regular season title, but are jus -2.5 point favorites against Missouri Valley Conference opponent Drake.
Before Betting on Drake vs Miami
The Bulldogs (27-7) have won 13 of their past 14 games, including a revenge win over Bradley last weekend for the MVC Conference Championship after losing to the Braves in the regular season finale. With Drake though you have to look at quality of competition – as their strength of schedule rating is 201st compared to 84h for the Hurricanes.
Drake’s strength is their defense (64.8 ppg) but that’s going to be put to the test against Miami team that is 11h in adjusted offensive efficiency according to the KenPom rankings. The Hurricanes ranked in the top 25 in scoring (79.6) and have depth with four different players averaging over 13 ppg during the regular season led by Isaiah Wong (15.9) and Jordan Miller (15.1).
Miami does have more NCAA Tournament experience in recent years, with coach Jim Larranaga taking the team to the Elite 8 last season and three other March Madness appearances in his 10 years at the helm of the program. Drake played in he College Basketball Invitational last year, and has never won an NCAA Tournament game in the five years coach Darian DeVries has been in charge.
Bulldogs vs Hurricanes NCAAB Offshore Betting Odds
| Offshore Sportsbook | Moneyline | Total | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnline | Drake (2.11) | Miami (1.76) | 146 | Drake +2 (1.91) | Miami -2 (1.91) |
| Bovada | Drake (2.10) | Miami (1.77) | 146 | Drake +2 (1.91) | Miami -2 (1.91) |
| BetUS | Drake (2.10) | Miami (1.77) | 146 | Drake +2 (1.91) | Miami -2 (1.91) |
| SportsBetting.ag | Drake (2.11) | Miami (1.76) | 146 | Drake +2 (1.91) | Miami -2 (1.91) |
| Pinnacle | Drake (2.13) | Miami (1.78) | 146 | Drake +2 (1.93) | Miami -2 (1.95) |
| MyBookie | Drake (2.07) | Miami (1.76) | 146.5 | Drake +2 (1.91) | Miami -2 (1.91) |
Drake vs Miami Prediction & Pick
Miami has solid scoring depth with the likes of Wong, Miller, Nijel Pack and Norchad Omier, but Drake has the single best scorer on the floor as Tucker DeVries averaged 18.9 ppg during the regular season and went for 22+ in two of the team’s three MVC Tournament games. That means the ‘over’ is the way to approach this one.
