Valparaiso Beacons vs Murray State Racers Prediction, 3/2/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Valparaiso Beacons vs Murray State Racers

Date: Thursday, March 2, 2023

Location: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO

TV: ESPN+

The Valparaiso Beacons (11-20) are on their way to Enterprise Center on Thursday where they will try to beat the Murray State Racers (16-14).

The Valparaiso Beacons stepped onto the hardwood against Murray State and took a loss by a score of 77-76 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Beacons ended up with 17 and Murray State racked up 13 fouls. They buried 6 out of their 15 shots from beyond the arc. Murray State finished the contest at 75.0% at the free throw line by converting 15 of 20 attempts. In addition, Murray State collected 33 rebounds (6 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Murray State recorded 14 assists and had 4 steals for this contest. In the matter of defending, Valparaiso let their opponent shoot 45.9% from the floor on 28 of 61 shooting. They also recorded 16 assists in this contest as well as forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and earning 7 steals. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 30 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Beacons converted 4 of 6 tries for a rate of 66.7%. Valparaiso wrapped up the contest having earned a 47.1% field goal percentage (33 out of 70) and made 6 out of their 23 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Ben Krikke is a player who was a major factor for this game. He accumulated 24 points on 11 of 16 shooting. He saw the court for 40 minutes and also totaled 5 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 68.8% from the field and also distributed 2 assists.

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Valparaiso will play this game with a win-loss record of 11-20 this year. They have an average of 69.5 pts per contest (230th in the country) while going 44.3% from the floor. The Beacons are shooting 30.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (196 of 645) and 72.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Valparaiso is grabbing 33.9 rebounds per game and is sitting with 421 assists for the campaign, which is 113th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 12.5 times per game and as a squad they are committing 16.6 personal fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Beacons are forcing 11.3 turnovers per game while drawing 15.1 fouls. They are 272nd in Division 1 in giving up assists with 420 surrendered this season. The Beacons defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 44.9% (814 of 1,814) and they relinquish 34.7 boards per game as a unit. They relinquish 33.8% on shots from downtown and they rank 283rd in D-1 in points per game allowed (73.5).

When they last stepped on the court, the Murray State Racers walked away with a victory by a final of 77-76 against Valparaiso. With respect to cleaning the glass, Murray State allowed Valparaiso to grab 30 overall (5 offensive). They went 26.1% from 3-point land by connecting on 6 of 23 and finished the game at 4 of 6 at the free throw line (66.7%). The Racers permitted Valparaiso to convert 33 of 70 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 47.1% in this matchup. In all, the Racers shot 28 for 61 from the floor which had them shooting 45.9%. When it comes to shots from downtown, Murray State buried 6 out of their 15 attempts (40.0%). They were able to make 15 of them for a percentage of 75.0%. Valparaiso was called for 17 fouls for the matchup which took the Racers to the free throw line for a total of 20 tries. They also coughed it up 13 times, while earning 4 steals in this contest. The Racers were able to pull down 27 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 for the matchup.

D.J. Burns was important for the Racers for the contest. He knocked down 10 of 18 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 55.6%, and had 8 rebounds. He accumulated 21 points in his 33 mins on the court and added 4 dimes for the contest.

Murray State has a mark of 16-14 on the season. As an offense, the Racers are connecting on 44.2% from the floor, which ranks 212th in college hoops. Murray State has accounted for 2,114 points for the year (70.5 per contest) and they pull in 34.7 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 11.8 times per game (289th in college basketball) and they turn the ball over 11.1 times per contest. The Racers commit 14.7 fouls every game while shooting 73.9% from the charity stripe.

The Racers on defense are ranked 259th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 72.7. They are forcing 10.6 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 44.8% from the floor (262nd in college basketball). The Murray State defense surrenders 34.1% on 3-point shots (256 of 751) and opponents are knocking down 71.5% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 13.9 dimes and 34.2 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 272nd and 198th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Murray State

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