Miami vs Drake Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 17 NCAA Tournament Game (Don't Expect Fireworks at MVP Arena)

Miami vs Drake Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 17 NCAA Tournament Game (Don't Expect Fireworks at MVP Arena)

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Miami vs Drake Game Info

  • 2022-23 NCAA Tournament Game
  • No. 14 Miami (25-7) vs. Drake (27-7)
  • Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
  • Time: 7:25 PM ET
  • Venue: MVP Arena -- Albany, New York
  • Coverage: TBS

The 2023 NCAA Tournament continues on Friday with an exciting Round of 64 matchup between the No. 12 Drake Bulldogs and No. 5 Miami Hurricanes. Drake is making its sixth all-time appearance in the big dance, while Miami is slated as a top-five seed for the first time since the 2016 tournament.

Drake took down Bradley by a score of 77-51 on Sunday to earn the Missouri Valley Conference title as well as its 13th win in its last 14 games. Meanwhile, Miami has won nine of its last 11 games, but lost to Duke by a score of 85-78 in the ACC Tournament. Which team will advance with a victory?

Miami vs Drake Odds & Spread

Miami enters this contest as a small favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:25 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 147.5 points, which is above average compared to Friday's projected totals.

Miami vs Drake Betting Trends

  • Miami is 18-14-0 against the spread this season.
  • The Hurricanes have an ATS record of 8-11 as 3.5-point favorites or greater.
  • Miami has seen 14 of its 32 games go over the point total.
  • Drake has beaten the spread 17 times in 33 games.
  • The Bulldogs have won once ATS (1-2) as a 3.5-point underdog or greater this year.
  • Drake has seen 15 of its 33 games go over the point total.
Miami Rank Miami AVG Drake AVG Drake Rank
24th 79.4 Points Scored 75.3 91st
240th 72.1 Points Allowed 63.9 32nd
174th 31.9 Rebounds 33.5 75th
135th 9 Off. Rebounds 7.2 287th
154th 7.6 3pt Made 8 104th
55th 14.9 Assists 13.6 136th
81st 10.9 Turnovers 9.8 21st

Miami vs Drake Prediction & Pick

The health of Miami's big man Norchad Omier is something to keep an eye on ahead of this matchup. The sophomore left the Hurricanes' ACC semifinal loss to Duke with an ankle injury and his status is still to be determined. Omier is averaging 13.6 points and 9.7 rebounds across 32 games this year.

Miami is an otherwise guard-heavy team led by the likes of Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack. The two sharpshooters are each sinking over 37.5% of their three-point attempts and should be able to create space against a Drake defense that only forces 12.0 turnovers per game (No. 209 in NCAA).

Miami has won five of its last seven games against a Missouri Valley team, so back the Hurricanes.

Final Score Prediction: Miami: 72 | Drake: 70

Miami vs Drake Best Bet

This game could go either way, which makes avoiding the spread a safe move here. Shifting gears to the point total is the way to go between two teams struggling to score. The total has hit the under in each of Drake's last six games overall as well as in six of Miami's last seven games played in March.

The Hurricanes finished the regular season averaging 74.9 points per game away from Miami-Dade Arena, while the Bulldogs finished the regular season averaging 71.4 points per game away from the Knapp Center. Expect each side to need some time to adjust to playing in MVP Arena in Albany, NY.

Bet: Under 147.5 Total Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.