Washington State and Drake square off in first round of NCAA Tournament

Published Mar. 21, 2024 3:23 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Drake Bulldogs (28-6, 19-4 MVC) vs. Washington State Cougars (24-9, 15-7 Pac-12)

Omaha, Nebraska; Thursday, 10:05 p.m. EDT

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bulldogs -1; over/under is 138.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 25 Washington State squares off against Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Cougars' record in Pac-12 games is 15-7, and their record is 9-2 against non-conference opponents. Washington State ranks second in the Pac-12 at limiting opponent scoring, allowing 66.9 points while holding opponents to 42.2% shooting.

The Bulldogs are 19-4 in MVC play. Drake is 22-3 when it wins the turnover battle and averages 8.8 turnovers per game.

Washington State makes 46.6% of its shots from the field this season, which is 2.2 percentage points higher than Drake has allowed to its opponents (44.4%). Drake averages 13.6 more points per game (80.5) than Washington State gives up (66.9).

TOP PERFORMERS: Isaac Jones is scoring 15.4 points per game and averaging 7.4 rebounds for the Cougars. Jaylen Wells is averaging 14.9 points and 4.0 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Darnell Brodie is averaging 11.3 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Tucker DeVries is averaging 24.1 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cougars: 7-3, averaging 70.7 points, 37.0 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 5.3 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.8 points per game.

Bulldogs: 9-1, averaging 82.4 points, 32.7 rebounds, 16.7 assists, 6.1 steals and 1.0 block per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.0 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.