Drake and Miami will play on Thursday in the first round of the Charleston Classic on Thursday. The Bulldogs and Hurricanes are playing for the first time since Miami escaped with a 63-56 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on their way to the first Final Four in program history.
Head coach Darian DeVries left for West Virginia in the off-season and his son Tucker who was the star for Drake in the last few seasons went with him. New head coach Ben McCollum has led Drake to wins over NAIA York, Stephen F. Austin and Florida Gulf Coast to begin the 2024-25 season.
Bennett Stirtz leads Drake averaging 18.7 points per game, 5.0 assists and 3.0s steals and is second posting 4.7 rebounds per game. Daniel Abreu is second on Drake averaging 17.7 PPG. Cam Manyawu leads Drake averaging 6.7 rebounds while contributing 9.0 PPG in only 18.3 minutes per game.
Six Miami players are averaging double-figures led by Pack at 14.7. Pack also leads Miami with 20 assists through three games. Brandon Johnson is averaging 10.3 PPG and leads Miami with 8.0 RPG. Freshman Divine Ugochukwu who was a late addition to the 2024 Miami class is averaging 11.3 PPG.
Drake versus Miami odds
Miami is a 10.5-point favorite over Drake per FanDuel. Miami laying the points is minus 102. Taking Drake and the points is minus 120. Miami is minus 530 on the money line and Drake is plus 390. The over/under is 143.5. The over is minus 115 and the under is minus 105.
Drake versus Miami series history
The 2023 NCAA Tournament game was the only time Miami has played Drake. Nijel Pack who is the only returnee from the 2022-23 led Miami with 21 points 2023 win over Drake. Nate Ferguson is the only player on the 2024-25 Drake roster who played against Miami in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
How to watch Drake versus Miami
Drake versus Miami in Charleston will have a noon tip-off on ESPN with Rich Hollenberg on play-by-play and former Miami head coach Perry Clark as the analyst.
What's next
Miami will play the winner of Florida Atlantic and Oklahoma State on Friday at 11:30 AM if they win and the loser between the Cowboys and Owls at 2:30 Eastern Time if they lose. The Charleston Classic is off on Saturday with the third round, including the championship on Sunday.