The Howard Bison and Drexel Dragons will open up the college basketball schedule on Tuesday morning in an early tip from Daskalakis Athletic Center. The Bison are 7-5 on the season and bring a three-game winning streak into Philadelphia, while the Dragons are 4-6 and looking to end a two-game losing streak. Before tip-off from Philly, continue reading to get my breakdown of this matchup, including my Howard vs Drexel prediction.
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Howard enters this matchup with momentum after a 61-57 win over Hampton that extended their win streak to three games. Bryce Harris leads the Bison in scoring at 20.5 points per game with efficient shooting at 48% from the field. The Bison offense is averaging 76.4 points per game while their defense is giving up roughly 71.5 points per game, giving Howard a positive scoring margin this season. Overall, Howard’s balance of scoring and defensive effort has been a catalyst for its recent success, though playing a bottom-20 non-conference strength of schedule has helped as well.
Drexel has faced challenges early, with a 4-6 record overall and a two-game losing streak coming into this contest. Senior guard Shane Blakeney leads the Dragons at 13.2 points per game. Drexel has produced solid rebounding numbers and is stronger on the boards than Howard, which could mean second-chance points and help the Dragons close things out late. Head coach Zach Spiker’s squad will look to slow down the tempo of this game and force contested shots against a Bison team that likes to play at a faster pace.
This is an abnormally early start time in college basketball, with tip-off coming at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. That means that these teams will be out of their regular rhythm when preparing for this contest. It will be interesting to see how that impacts these teams on both ends of the floor, if it impacts them at all.
Score Projection: Howard 66 – Drexel 75
Win Probability: Howard 35%, Drexel 65%
I'm going to take the Drexel Dragons to win and cover the spread on their home floor in this contest. The Dragons are more dangerous on the offensive end of the floor, thanks to their superior balance. As long as Drexel can prevent Harris from having a huge game for the Bison, the Dragons should be able to cover the number at home to start the day in college hoops.
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