Bradley Braves vs Coppin State Eagles Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Bradley and Coppin State both sit at 1-2 heading into a neutral site meeting in St. Petersburg. The Braves defend as well as anyone in the Missouri Valley, while the Eagles lean on a deep bench that did all the damage in their only win.

The Matchup

Bradley and Coppin State meet Thursday evening at McArthur Center in St. Petersburg, a neutral floor with Bradley a 7.5-point favorite, a total of 135.5, on YouTube. Both teams are 1-2, and both are still figuring out who they are, which makes what each team does well more important than the records.

Bradley is scoring 60.7 points a game and allowing 55.3. The defense is real and it is familiar. Last season the Braves went 21-13 in the Missouri Valley, scoring 77.2 and allowing 73.6, so the program level is well above this start. The new part is the scoring drought, and Tuesday at Davidson showed it plainly.

Bradley lost 62-45, Trevon Payton led the Braves with 11 points, and starting guard Timoty van der Knaap went scoreless on 11 shots. A team getting that little from a starter it counts on is a team still searching for its rotation, with Josh Ibukunoluwa doing the dirty work inside at 7 points and 9 rebounds in that loss.

Coppin State is scoring 65.0 and allowing 69.7. Last season the Eagles went 7-24 in the MEAC, scoring 65.5 and allowing 80.4, and their two games against Division I opponents this season looked like that team. Coppin State lost 88-54 at Virginia Tech and 68-51 at George Mason. The win, 90-53 over Cheyney, came against a lower division opponent, and even that night the starters were quiet while the bench carried the scoring.

Payton, Ibukunoluwa and van der Knaap carry no injury designations for Bradley, and Malik Shackleford, Daveyon Lydner and Baasil Saunders carry no injury designations for Coppin State.

Key Factors

Bradley's defense is the most reliable thing in this game. The Braves have held all three opponents under 63 points, and Coppin State has been held to 54 and 51 points in its two games against real competition. When an offense that fragile meets a defense this organized on a neutral floor, long scoreless stretches tend to decide the afternoon, and Coppin State does not have a proven half court answer when its first option gets taken away.

Coppin State's one genuine strength is depth. Against Cheyney, Shackleford scored 16 points off the bench, Lydner scored 16 more, and Saunders added 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Hussain Williams pulled down 12 rebounds. The Eagles can throw fresh bodies at a game for 40 minutes, and Bradley's short rotation will feel that by the second half. Depth alone, though, has not produced a single competitive half against a Division I defense yet.

The counterpoint is Bradley's own offense, and it is not a small one. A favorite laying 7.5 points still has to score, and the Braves just scored 45 at Davidson with a starter going 0-for-11.

If van der Knaap and the Bradley guards shoot that poorly again, Coppin State hangs around all evening and this spread never gets threatened. The bet is that the shooting normalizes against a defense that allowed 80.4 points a game last season, while Bradley's defense keeps the Eagles in the 50s for a third straight Division I game.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.