Drake (11) vs. Missouri (6) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
Missouri ended the year on a rough note. The Tigers have lost four of their last five games, bowing out of the stacked SEC Tournament in the quarterfinals. If you’re wondering how stacked the SEC is this year, they are sending a record 14 teams to the national championship tournament.
Drake comes in as one of the hotter teams in the tournament. The Bulldogs punched their ticket to the national championship by winning the Missouri Valley Tournament while extending their win streak to seven games.
Missouri is a 6.5-point favourite to win on the NCAAB odds, with the total set at 132.5.
Drake vs. Missouri NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
When No. 11 seeds upset 6-seeds, it seems to come in chunks. Between 1991 and 1995, 11-seeds went 15-5 straight up against 6-seeds and between 2002 and 2004, 11-seeds went 12-4 SU against 6-seeds. No. 11 seeds opened a new window of success last year, with Oregon, Duquesne and NC State (NC State went to the Final Four) pulling off first-round upsets.
The Tigers sit as a distant +8000 to win the national championship on the NCAAB futures board. Missouri’s ceiling is more realistically an appearance in the Sweet 16 (+200) or Elite Eight (+500).
Drake has been a popular Cinderella pick this year, but that hasn’t translated to their tournament odds, which has them listed as massive +50,000 long shots. If you’re looking for some value, there’s a path for the Bulldogs to reach the Sweet 16 (+1200).
2025 March Madness Bracket Seeds: Most likely NCAA Tournament first round upsets
Drake Bulldogs (11)
Just like a certain musical artist with the same name, Drake took some major hits over the last year. The Bulldogs lost head coach Darian DeVries, two-time MVC Coach of the Year, and his son Tucker, back-to-back MVC Player of the Year, to West Virginia in the off-season. Still, the team bounced back with Ben McCollum in charge. McCollum, a former D-II coach, was named MVC Coach of the Year after leading Drake to a 30-3 record, including a Missouri Valley Tournament title.
This is a strong defensive team. The Bulldogs rank around the top-40 in the nation defensively since early January and over the last two months they are forcing turnovers on 22 per cent of their opponents’ possessions. Things are looking good for Drake as Bennett Stirtz has proven to be a star, averaging a team-high 19.1 points per game, and the Bulldogs have a double-digit win over Vanderbilt to prove they can hang with top competition.
Missouri Tigers (6)
Missouri looks like a completely different team than the one that lost 19 straight games last season. They only finished 10-8 in conference play, but they were clearly stuck in a powerhouse SEC as they went 11-3 in non-conference games. This will be the Tigers’ second tournament appearance in three years and they have already shown they are a team to be feared after recording crucial wins against Kansas, Alabama and Florida.
Poor health was a huge issue for Missouri last year, but that hasn’t been a problem this season. Returning players Caleb Grill (13.8 ppg, 40 per cent from the arc), Tamar Bates (13.4 ppg) and Anthony Robinson (9.2 ppg) have been rewarded for sticking with the program, while Duke transfer Mark Mitchell (14.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Iowa transfer Tony Perkins (8.6 ppg) have gelled seamlessly with the team.