Valparaiso Beacons vs Belmont Bruins Prediction, 12/1/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Valparaiso Beacons vs Belmont Bruins

Date: Thursday, December 1, 2022

Location: Curb Event Center Arena in Nashville, TN

TV: ESPNU

The Belmont Bruins (4-3) will compete against the Valparaiso Beacons (3-4) at Curb Event Center Arena on Thursday.

The Valparaiso Beacons faced James Madison and notched a win by a score of 81-79 in their last contest. Valparaiso ended the contest with a 50.0% FG percentage (33 of 66) and made 7 of 22 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Beacons made 8 of 13 attempts for a percentage of 61.5%. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 35 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 12 assists for this game in addition to forcing 12 turnovers and getting 6 steals. Pertaining to defending, Valparaiso allowed 40.7% from the floor on 22 out of 54 shooting. James Madison recorded 8 dimes and had 8 steals in the matchup. Additionally, James Madison snagged 27 rebounds (8 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. James Madison walked away from this one shooting 71.4% at the charity stripe by making 30 of their 42 attempts. They made 5 of their 15 shots from downtown. In reference to personal fouls, the Beacons ended up with 32 and James Madison accounted for 18 personal fouls.

Ben Krikke is one guy who was a factor for the contest. He finished with 23 points on 11 out of 17 shooting. He was on the court for 41 minutes and pulled down 7 boards. He ended up shooting 64.7% from the field and also totaled 1 assist.

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Valparaiso steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 3-4 on the campaign. They are turning it over 13.1 times per game and as a group are committing 20.7 fouls per contest. As a unit, Valparaiso is grabbing 33.7 rebounds per game and has earned 83 assists on the campaign, which ranks 266th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Beacons are shooting 28.1% on 3-pointers (39 of 139) and 71.4% from the free throw line. They are averaging 67.6 points per game (282nd in the country) while shooting 43.8% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Beacons are able to force 12.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.4 fouls. They are ranked 108th in D-1 in giving up assists with 75 conceded on the season. The Beacons defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 43.3% (170 of 393) and they relinquish 35.7 boards per contest as a unit. They give up 38.5% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 301st in D-1 in PPG allowed (74.3).

When they last stepped on the court, the Belmont Bruins walked away with a victory by a final of 68-66 when they played Georgia State. The Bruins recorded 20 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 25 for the game. They also gave up possession 15 times, while getting 7 steals for the contest. Georgia State had 13 fouls for the game which got the Bruins to the free throw line for 9 attempts. They were able to bury 7 of the free throw tries for a rate of 77.8%. In relation to shots from downtown, Belmont buried 13 out of their 25 tries (52.0%). Overall, the Bruins finished 24 for 51 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.1%. The Bruins allowed Georgia State to convert 23 of 54 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 42.6% in this matchup. They finished 23.5% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 4 out of 17 and ended up shooting 16 out of 20 at the charity stripe (80.0%). In the matter of cleaning up the glass, Belmont permitted Georgia State to pull down 28 overall (6 offensive).

Drew Friberg ended up being a factor for the Bruins in this game. He made 8 out of 12 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and added 5 rebounds. He racked up 24 points in his 36 minutes on the court and accumulated 2 assists in this contest.

Belmont has a win-loss mark of 4-3 this season. The Bruins have committed 18.1 fouls every game and they go 67.5% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 14.4 times per contest (126th in the nation) and they turn it over 13.3 times per contest. Belmont has accumulated 530 points on the campaign (75.7 per contest) and they pull in 30.1 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Bruins are hitting on 47.9% from the field, which has them ranked 68th in the country.

The Belmont defense allows 36.4% on 3-point shots (47 of 129) and their opposition makes 70.3% of their foul shots. They have given up 12.6 dimes and 35.0 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 196th and 215th in college hoops. The Bruins on defense are ranked 312th in the nation in PPG given up with 75.0. They are forcing their opponents into 14.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 46.9% from the field (326th in college basketball).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Belmont

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