West Region: Western Kentucky (12) vs. Drake (5)

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers won the Sun Belt tournament but don't like to play defense and could be easy first-round pickings for the Drake Bulldogs. Both be trying to pick up a win on Friday when they battle at St. Petes Times Forum in the West Region, while Drake - who had a 21-game win streak on the year - are aimed at the Sweet Sixteen.

NewBodog oddsmakers currently have the Bulldogs listed as 4½-point favorites versus the Hilltoppers, while the game's total is sitting at 140.

The Bulldogs defeated Drake 79-49 as a 3-point favorite in the Missouri Valley Conference final on Sunday. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (126).

Jonathan Cox poured in a game-high 20 points for Drake, while Adam Emmenecker added 16 points in the win.

Team records:
Western Kentucky: 27-6 SU, 17-13 ATS
Drake: 28-4 SU, 20-7-1 ATS

Western Kentucky most recently:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
After playing Middle Tennessee are 6-4
After a win are 9-1

Drake most recently:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
After playing Illinois State are 3-7
After a win are 7-3

A few trends to consider:
Western Kentucky is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Western Kentucky is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Western Kentucky's last 20 games
Drake is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Drake's last 7 games
Drake is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games

Stevie Vincent is the founder of the ground-breaking betting science of forensic handicapping and the former Executive Editor of the Freescoreboard Tailgate Party. His BetOnSports360 sports betting plays are available exclusively at OffshoreInsiders.com