The Dragons fell at home against the Red Birds a season ago in an early season tilt, and now they get to hit the road for a second time in five days as they visit the state of Illinois for this one.

The 2012 matchup was an 86-84 overtime thriller. Illinois State was able to dictate the tempo despite being on the road, and neither group played a ton of defense.

Drexel enters this game as 4.5 point favorites for this one despite being on the road, and that is a testimony to the veteran guard play they have.

The Red Birds have two pretty good guards of their own, but the remainder of their lineup is littered with uncertainties. That was put on full display in their 38 pint drubbing at the hands of the VCU Rams last week.

21 turnovers led to a 30 point halftime deficit and an absolutely disgraceful performance for a performance that seemed on the uptick just a year ago.

Drexel looked highly competitive against UCLA in their opener. They lost by five in a game that did not favor them in too many aspects, and that has to encourage Bruiser Flint all the more.

Drexel was exposed in that game for a lack of depth, an issue that caught up to them despite the Bruins having similar weaknesses and only playing seven guys. That’s a non issue here as Illinois State is not only extremely thin  all across the board and is also still trying to figure out their rotation in many ways.

ISU has the look for a team that really doesn’t believe in themselves right now, and that spells trouble as Drexel enters their building. The Dragons appear quite thin especially on the interior, but that is not a weakness the Red Birds would seem likely to exploit. They were out rebounded without mercy in Virginia, and their leading man on the glass was backup guard Nick Zeisloft, who only had 7 boards.

I am quite unfamiliar with the red Birds roster in general, and don’t feel comfortable taking a road team like Drexel here. As good as i think the Dragons could be, they can still prove limited in the scoring department at times. Playing up tempo in this sort of a game could really expose their lack of depth, and could also prove costly in their ability to cover a number that I tend to think is maybe a point too high.