Valparaiso Beacons vs Western Michigan Broncos Prediction, 12/20/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Valparaiso Beacons vs Western Michigan Broncos

Date: Friday, December 20, 2024

Location: University Arena (MI) in Kalamazoo, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Western Michigan Broncos (3-7) will take on the Valparaiso Beacons (5-5) at University Arena (MI) on Friday.

The Valparaiso Beacons faced off with Ohio State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 95-73 in their last game. Valparaiso walked away from the game with a 35.8% FG percentage (24 out of 67) and knocked down 5 of their 24 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Beacons made 20 of 23 attempts for a rate of 87.0%. Pertaining to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 31 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 5 assists for the contest in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and earning 2 steals. In regard to defense, Valparaiso let their opponent shoot 54.1% from the floor on 33 out of 61 shooting. Ohio State dished out 14 assists and had 7 steals for this contest. In addition, Ohio State had 36 rebounds (8 offensive, 28 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Ohio State finished the contest at 85.2% from the charity stripe by knocking down 23 of their 27 shots. They knocked down 6 out of their 19 tries from 3-point land. When talking about fouls, the Beacons finished with 22 and Ohio State accounted for 20 fouls.

All Wright is one guy who was a contributor in this matchup. He walked away with 22 points on 8 out of 15 shooting. He saw the court for 32 minutes played and also totaled 4 boards. He ended up shooting 53.3% from the floor and also distributed 3 assists.

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Valparaiso enters this game with a record of 5-5 for the year. They cough up possession 10.0 times per contest and as a group are committing 16.8 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Valparaiso is collecting 36.3 rebounds per game and has racked up 125 assists on the year, which is 327th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Beacons are shooting 31.9% on shots from distance (74 of 232) and 82.5% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 78.2 pts per game (133rd in D-1) while shooting 42.6% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Beacons have forced 12.1 turnovers every game while drawing 19.3 fouls. They rank 37th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 113 relinquished so far this season. The Beacons defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.5% (260 of 571) and they surrender 34.4 boards per contest as a team. They are giving up 33.0% from beyond the arc and they rank 231st in college in PPG allowed (73.0).

When they last played, the Western Michigan Broncos took a defeat with a final score of 98-62 against North Dakota State. The Broncos recorded 17 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 24 in the matchup. They gave up possession 7 times, while getting 7 steals in the matchup. North Dakota State was called for 12 personal fouls for the contest which took the Broncos to the free throw line for a total of 13 shots. They were able to make 9 of the free throws for a clip of 69.2%. When talking about shots from beyond the arc, Western Michigan made 5 out of their 13 attempts (38.5%). When the final whistle blew, the Broncos ended up going 24 for 62 from the floor which had them shooting 38.7%. The Broncos allowed North Dakota State to bury 38 of 55 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 69.1% in the game. They finished 58.1% from distance by connecting on 18 out of 31 and finished the game at 4 out of 9 from the charity stripe (44.4%). In the matter of how they rebounded, Western Michigan allowed North Dakota State to get 32 overall (2 on the offensive glass).

Chansey Willis Jr. was important for the Broncos for this game. He knocked down 8 out of 16 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and had 2 rebounds. He racked up 22 points in his 31 minutes on the court and had 5 assists for the matchup.

Western Michigan has a win-loss record of 3-7 this year. The Broncos are responsible for committing 17.7 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 68.6% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 11.8 times per contest (307th in the country) and they turn the ball over 9.9 times per game. Western Michigan has accumulated 710 pts this season (71.0 per contest) and they snag 38.8 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Broncos are connecting on 42.8% from the floor, which ranks 278th in college hoops.

The Broncos on defense are ranked 241st in Division 1 in PPG allowed with 73.3. They are able to force 10.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.5% from the field (296th in the country). The Western Michigan defense surrenders 36.0% on shots from 3-point land (94 of 261) and their opponents are converting on 69.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 15.7 assists and 32.3 total boards per game, which has them ranked 333rd and 77th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Valparaiso

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