Valparaiso Beacons vs Virginia Tech Hokies Prediction, 12/9/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Valparaiso Beacons vs Virginia Tech Hokies

Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023

Location: Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, VA

TV: ESPN+

Cassell Coliseum is the location where the Virginia Tech Hokies (6-3) will attempt to defeat the Valparaiso Beacons (4-5) on Saturday.

The Valparaiso Beacons took the court against Central Michigan and took a loss by a score of 71-67 in their last game. Valparaiso wrapped up the contest with a 39.3% FG percentage (24 out of 61) and buried 9 of their 24 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the charity stripe, the Beacons knocked down 10 of their 12 tries for a rate of 83.3%. When discussing hauling in boards, they collected 35 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 14 dimes for the game while forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and having 7 steals. When discussing defense, Valparaiso allowed the other team to go 42.2% from the field on 27 out of 64 shooting. Central Michigan earned 14 dimes and had 7 steals for this contest. Furthermore, Central Michigan snagged 36 rebounds (13 offensive, 23 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Central Michigan finished shooting 47.1% at the free throw line by burying 8 of their 17 tries. They made 9 of their 21 tries from beyond the arc. In reference to fouls, the Beacons ended up with 18 and Central Michigan recorded 11 fouls.

Isaiah Stafford is a guy who was important for the matchup. He finished the game at 36.8% from the floor and totaled 2 dimes. He was on the court for 32 minutes and also snagged 3 boards. He was able to score 23 points on 7 of 19 shooting.

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Valparaiso will play this game with a win-loss mark of 4-5 for the campaign. They have an average of 69.8 points per game (278th in D-1) while shooting 39.6% from the floor. The Beacons are hitting 33.0% on shots from 3-point land (64 of 194) and 69.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Valparaiso is pulling down 37.7 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 111 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 216th in college basketball in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 11.0 times per game and as a group they commit 15.8 fouls every game.

On defense, the Beacons are forcing their opponents into 14.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.2 personal fouls. They give up 29.5% from 3-point land and they are ranked 159th in the country in points per game allowed (69.9). The Beacons are allowing a FG percentage of 42.7% (238 of 557) and they surrender 42.0 rebounds per game as a unit. They are ranked 254th in the country in allowing assists to their opponents with 119 surrendered for the season.

In their last game, the Virginia Tech Hokies went home victorious with a score of 75-68 when they faced Louisville. The Hokies were able to pull down 23 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 in this game. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while getting 6 steals in the matchup. Louisville was called for 21 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Hokies to the free throw line for 27 tries. They were able to bury 22 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 81.5%. Concerning shots from beyond the arc, Virginia Tech converted 5 of their 20 attempts (25.0%). Overall, the Hokies finished 24 for 55 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.6%. The Hokies permitted Louisville to make 23 of 57 attempts from the field which left them shooting 40.4% for the game. They went 31.6% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 6 out of 19 and ended up shooting 16 out of 18 from the free throw line (88.9%). In relation to rebounding, Virginia Tech permitted Louisville to snag 30 in total (7 on the offensive side).

MJ Collins ended up being a factor for the Hokies for the matchup. He tallied 20 points in his 24 mins on the court and earned 4 dimes for this game. He made 5 of 10 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and had 4 rebounds.

Virginia Tech has a record of 6-3 on the campaign. The Hokies are committing 16.4 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 80.3% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 15.2 times per contest (88th in college basketball) and they turn it over 11.4 times per game. Virginia Tech has tallied 670 points this year (74.4 per contest) and they collect 33.8 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Hokies are connecting on 43.4% from the field, which has them ranked 243rd in the nation.

The Virginia Tech defense surrenders 33.7% on 3-point shots (63 of 187) and opponents are knocking down 71.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 11.7 dimes and 32.9 boards on a nightly basis, which is 124th and 91st in those categories on the defensive end. The Hokies defensively are ranked 123rd in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 68.6. They are forcing 14.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the field (223rd in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Valparaiso

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