Bradley Braves vs Drake Bulldogs Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Bradley Braves vs Drake Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: Knapp Center in Des Moines, IA

TV: ESPN+

Knapp Center is the location where the Drake Bulldogs (12-10) will attempt to beat the Bradley Braves (14-8) on Saturday.

The Bradley Braves faced UIC and took a loss by a score of 85-70 in their last contest. When it comes to personal fouls, the Braves ended up with 17 and UIC finished the game with 20 personal fouls. They also buried 12 out of their 24 attempts from downtown. UIC finished shooting 81.3% when shooting free throws by making 13 of 16 attempts. On top of that, UIC collected 35 boards (11 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't have a block. UIC doled out 18 dimes and had 4 steals for this game. With respect to defending, Bradley allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the field on 30 out of 60 shooting. They also distributed 14 assists for the contest while forcing 9 turnovers and having 3 steals. Concerning hauling in rebounds, they earned 25 with 7 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Braves converted 16 of their 22 attempts for a percentage of 72.7%. Bradley finished having earned a 46.2% field goal percentage (24 of 52) and converted 6 of their 22 3-point attempts.

Timoty van der Knaap is one player who was important for the contest. He walked away from this one shooting 62.5% from the floor but had no assists when the time ran out. He was on the court for 22 mins played and also totaled 9 rebounds. He racked up 12 points on 5 out of 8 shooting.

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Bradley comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 14-8 for the year. They currently have an average of 77.7 pts per contest (153rd in college) on 43.3% from the field. The Braves are connecting on 33.8% on three-point attempts (183 of 541) and 73.2% from the free throw line. As a unit, Bradley is pulling down 34.8 boards per contest and has totaled 281 assists for the season, which ranks 229th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 9.4 times per game and as a team they commit 18.3 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Braves are able to force 14.9 turnovers every game while drawing 18.4 personal fouls. They are giving up 36.8% on 3-point shots and they are 178th in college in points per game allowed (73.3). The Braves defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 45.0% (550 of 1,222) and they surrender 36.8 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 245th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 296 conceded this year.

The last time they took the court, the Drake Bulldogs took home the win by a final score of 82-78 against Evansville. The Bulldogs were able to snag 21 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 29 for this contest. They coughed up the ball 7 times, while getting 7 steals in this contest. Evansville earned 25 personal fouls in this game which took the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for a total of 38 tries. They were able to convert 28 of those for a rate of 73.7%. When discussing shooting from downtown, Drake converted 10 out of 32 tries (31.3%). When the game finished, the Bulldogs went 22 for 51 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.1%. The Bulldogs allowed Evansville to convert 30 of 55 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 54.5% in this contest. They finished shooting 50.0% from beyond the perimeter by hitting 11 out of 22 and finished the game at 7 out of 12 from the free throw line (58.3%). In the matter of team rebounding, Drake permitted Evansville to snag 25 in total (5 on the offensive glass).

Jalen Quinn ended up being a factor for the Bulldogs for this game. He totaled 26 points in his 37 minutes on the court and had 5 assists in this game. He buried 7 of 15 for the contest giving him a rate of 46.7%, and had 6 rebounds.

Drake has a record of 12-10 on the year. The Bulldogs have committed 17.1 personal fouls per contest while shooting 71.6% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 13.8 times per contest (208th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 10.1 times per game. Drake has 1,702 points so far this year (77.4 per game) and they pull down 36.1 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs are shooting 45.0% from the floor, which ranks them 198th in the nation.

The Bulldogs defensively are ranked 143rd in the nation in points per game surrendered with 72.4. They are forcing their opponents into 11.2 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 42.5% from the field (110th in college). The Drake defense allows 33.5% on 3-point attempts (194 of 579) and their opposition knocks down 67.4% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 13.7 dimes and 36.4 total boards per game, ranking them 209th and 289th in those defensive categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Bradley

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