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The No. 6 seed Missouri Tigers (22-11) square off against the No. 11 Drake Bulldogs (30-3) on Thursday in a pivotal 2025 NCAA Tournament first-round matchup. The Tigers enter Thursday's showdown in a bit of a slump after losing four of their last six games. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have been impressive all season and are 19-1 in their past 20 contests. Missouri suffered a 95-81 loss against Florida in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, while Drake won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a 63-48 victory over Bradley. 

Tipoff from Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas, is set for 7:35 p.m. ET. Missouri is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Missouri vs. Drake odds from SportsLine Consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 133.5. Before making any Drake vs. Missouri picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2025 NCAA Tournament on a 228-166 roll (+2025) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. This model has also produced brackets that have beaten over 91% of CBS Sports entries in four of the last six tournaments and nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Missouri vs. Drake and just locked in its March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and lines for Drake vs. Missouri:

  • Missouri vs. Drake spread: Missouri -5.5
  • Missouri vs. Drake over/under: 133.5 points 
  • Missouri vs. Drake money line: Missouri -248, Drake +203
  • MIZZ: The Tigers are 1-4 against the spread in their past five games 
  • DRAKE: Drake is 8-0 against the spread in its last eight games as an underdog 
  • Missouri vs. Drake picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Missouri can cover

The Tigers are one of 14 SEC teams to make the NCAA Tournament, so they're battle-tested against some of the best teams in the country. Missouri has impressive wins this season over Florida, Alabama, Kansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, all of which are in the NCAA bracket. 

Missouri features three players averaging at least 13.0 points per game. The Tigers are led offensively by guard Mark Mitchell, who's scoring 14.1 points per contest. Mitchell is knocking down 51.2% of his field goals and has scored 20 or more points in two of his last four outings. The Tigers are also disruptive on the defensive end of the court. Missouri is averaging 9.4 steals per game, which ranks 11th in college basketball. See which team to pick here. 

Why Drake can cover 

Eleven seeds are historically dangerous in March, and Ben McCollum's squad looks like they could make a run. Thanks to their suffocating defense, the Bulldogs recorded 30 wins this season. Drake features the nation's top-ranked scoring defense, holding opponents to just 58.4 points per game. 

Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by guard Bennett Stirtz, who's averaging 19.1 points per contest. Stirtz is also a great facilitator, averaging 5.7 assists per game. The junior has finished with 23 or more points in five of his last seven games and will be the focal point for Drake's offensive game plan against a Missouri team that is giving up 73.8 points per game, which ranks 232nd in the country. See which team to pick here. 

How to make Drake vs. Missouri picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 147 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only get the model's picks at SportsLine. 

So who wins Missouri vs. Drake, and which side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $2,000 on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.