1* free play on the Drake Bulldogs...

The Wichita State Shockers are coming off a rare loss on the road at Illinois State, but they are coming into tonight's game at Drake as an enormous favorite. The Bulldogs have lost 11 of their last 12, and one of those came at Wichita State. They lost that game by a whopping 20 points, but the Shockers are asked to win by just as great a margin here on the road. My money is on the home dog here, as I think this line looks a little inflated.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Previous History - The Shockers have won four of their last five visits to Drake, but none of those wins were one-sided enough to cover tonight's enormous number. If we look at both teams previous five games, the Bulldogs have actually shot for a higher percentage from beyond the arc, as well as from the free throw line.

2. Home Cookin' - Drake has averaged slightly more points at home than the Shockers have scored on the road. They haven't had as much success on defense, but they have only lost by more than 10 points once in their last five home games, winning one of those contests outright.

3. X-Factor - Ron Baker and Fred Van Fleet scored a total of 17 points on 5-of-21 shooting in the loss to Illinois State.

Selection: This is a play on the Drake Bulldogs (Free)