Central Michigan Chippewas vs Valparaiso Beacons Prediction, 12/14/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Central Michigan Chippewas vs Valparaiso Beacons

Date: Saturday, December 14, 2024

Location: Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Valparaiso Beacons (4-4) are hosting the Central Michigan Chippewas (5-3) at Athletics-Recreation Center on Saturday.

The Central Michigan Chippewas stepped onto the hardwood against Aquinas and went home with a win by a final score of 93-69 in their last contest. Central Michigan finished the game having earned a 54.0% field goal percentage (34 of 63) and converted 13 out of their 26 3-pointers. At the charity stripe, the Chippewas converted 12 of their 17 tries for a rate of 70.6%. When talking about getting rebounds, they collected a total of 44 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 18 assists in this contest while forcing 7 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In the matter of the defense, Central Michigan allowed the other team to go 37.5% from the floor on 27 of 72 shooting. Aquinas totaled 13 assists and had 8 steals for the contest. Furthermore, Aquinas had 23 rebounds (5 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Aquinas finished the contest at 71.4% at the charity stripe by converting 5 of 7 tries. They buried 10 of their 34 tries from three-point range. In the matter of personal fouls, the Chippewas finished with 14 and Aquinas racked up 15 personal fouls.

Anthony Pritchard is a guy who was a major factor for the game. He finished with 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting. He played for 25 mins played and grabbed 9 rebounds. He finished shooting 60.0% from the floor and also dished out 8 dimes.

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Central Michigan will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 5-3 for the year. They are averaging 79.6 pts per game (103rd in the nation) on 48.4% from the floor. The Chippewas are connecting on 35.1% on 3-point shots (72 of 205) and 67.3% from the charity stripe. As a team, Central Michigan is collecting 39.8 rebounds per contest and has 134 dimes so far this season, which is 211th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 14.4 times per contest and as a team they are committing 17.8 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Chippewas have forced 13.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.5 personal fouls. They give up 28.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 98th in college basketball in points per game allowed (67.5). The Chippewas are allowing a shooting percentage of 39.3% (185 of 471) and they concede 31.1 boards per contest as a team. They are 38th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 96 surrendered for the campaign.

For their last game, the Valparaiso Beacons took a loss by a score of 66-60 against Drake. The Beacons recorded 15 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds for a total of 17 for this contest. They gave up possession 10 times, while getting 5 steals in this matchup. Drake committed 18 personal fouls for the game which got the Beacons to the charity stripe for 18 attempts. They were able to bury 12 of those for a rate of 66.7%. With respect to shooting from 3-point land, Valparaiso made 10 of their 27 attempts (37.0%). When all was said and done, the Beacons shot 19 out of 46 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.3%. The Beacons allowed Drake to convert 23 of their 42 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 54.8% for this game. They finished shooting 28.6% from three-point range via 4 out of 14 and finished the game at 16 of 26 at the free throw line (61.5%). In regard to cleaning up the glass, Valparaiso permitted Drake to pull down 28 in total (6 offensive).

Tyler Schmidt was important for the Beacons for this game. He converted 7 of 9 for this contest for a rate of 77.8%, but couldn't coral a rebound. He scored 20 points in his 23 minutes on the hardwood, but didn't record an assist.

Valparaiso has a mark of 4-4 so far this year. As an offense, the Beacons are hitting on 43.1% from the floor, which is 264th in the nation. Valparaiso has accounted for 616 points so far this season (77.0 per contest) and they pull in 36.9 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 13.5 times per game (221st in college basketball) and they turn it over 9.3 times per game. The Beacons are responsible for committing 15.3 personal fouls per game and they go 80.5% from the charity stripe.

The Beacons on the defensive side of the court are 153rd in college hoops in points allowed per game with 69.8. They are able to force 11.9 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.8% from the floor (276th in D-1). The Valparaiso defense allows 34.1% on shots from distance (59 of 173) and opponents are knocking down 65.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 11.8 dimes and 34.1 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 97th and 164th in D-1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Valparaiso

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