2008 Drake Bulldogs Odds to Win NCAA Tournament

The Drake Bulldogs have taken their fans and gambling backers on a miraculous ride this season. Drake is currently first place in the Missouri Valley Conference at 10-0. The Bulldogs have a 20-1 record on the season and are riding an 18-game win streak, which is the second longest only to number one ranked Memphis. While many would agree that Drake is not the 15th best team in the nation as its ranking would indicate, one must agree that it is playing the best basketball in a conference that has gained much respect in recent years.

Keno Davis, son of former Drake coach Tom Davis, is the guy which has made this miracle run happen. Keno is part of a growing trend in college hoops of fathers paving the way for their sons to take over. We saw Sean Sutton take over at Oklahoma State for father Eddie, Tony Bennett at Washington State for father Dick, and Pat Knight appears to be the next in line at Texas Tech when the legendary Bob Knight hangs his hat.

Keno has spent numerous years under his father’s tutelage and is now showing that is was the right time for him to shine on his own. Keno served as an undergraduate assistant under Tom at Iowa from 1991-95. Tom, who had been out of coaching for four years after a 13-year stint at Iowa, made Keno his first hire when he took over the Bulldogs. Together, they improved the talent level and rallied the community around a team largely irrelevant for two decades. Now, Drake is the talk of the Hawkeye State, not his father’s former team.

Obviously, the true test of how good this team is will be decided in how they show in the NCAA Tournament. A season like this is already going to do wonders for recruiting with all the publicity and an NCAA tourney run will do even more.

Drake has exceeded the expectations of oddsmakers this season and the result has been cold hard cash for backers. The Bulldogs are 14-3 ATS in lined games. As far as the breakdown goes, Drake is 8-1 ATS at home and 6-2 against the number on the road. Because of this success, we expect oddsmakers to start making things a little big more difficult for Drake supporters. So now it’s time to be on the lookout for spots to go against the Bulldogs as the books elevate their worth against lesser teams. I’m not saying jump the other way completely at this point, but just to be ready.

One thing to keep in mind is that teams that are winning are not always covering. Drake is a big exception this season. Memphis, for example, the only team to hold a longer winning streak than Drake, is just 11-8-1 ATS overall this season, 6-5-1 at home and 3-2 on the road. It has still been a profitable season for backers, but not nearly as profitable as it has been for Drake backers. 17-4 Texas, is just 8-8 ATS for example. The reality is that the betting public is a lot more likely to lay down on Memphis than Drake, because compared to Memphis, the Bulldogs still go under the radar. We urge you to look for the Drake’s each year as they can be the difference between a winning and a losing season.

Northern Colorado, for example, is just 9-13 this season, but 13-7-1 ATS–the best covering team in the Big Sky Conference. In the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Niagara is 13-6 ATS. In the Ivy League, Columbia is just 8-11, but 6-2 ATS in lined games. Keep in mind that these under the radar teams can be the best teams to back because the books don’t know as much about them and the line isn’t affected as much by public attention.

Hopefully Drake’s success can call attention to other under the radar teams across the country, and in the process, make you a more potent sports investor.

Odds to win the NCAA Tournament: Other (so little respect they aren’t even listed) 50/1

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