Bradley Braves vs Valparaiso Beacons Prediction, 2/26/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Bradley Braves vs Valparaiso Beacons

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Location: Athletics-Recreation Center in Hattiesburg, MS

TV: ESPN+

Athletics-Recreation Center is the location where the Valparaiso Beacons (13-16) will play the Bradley Braves (22-7) on Wednesday.

The Bradley Braves took the court against Murray State and notched a win by a score of 85-83 in their last contest. When talking about fouls, the Braves ended up finishing with 24 and Murray State accumulated 21 fouls. They also buried 9 of 27 tries from three-point range. Murray State ended up going 81.3% at the free throw line by burying 26 of 32 attempts. On top of that, Murray State grabbed 33 rebounds (8 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Murray State totaled 13 assists and had 9 steals in the game. When talking about the defense, Bradley let their opponent shoot 40.0% from the field on 24 of 60 shooting. They also recorded 11 assists in this game as well as forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In terms of hauling in boards, they collected a total of 41 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Braves made 13 of their 18 shots for a rate of 72.2%. Bradley finished the game with a 45.5% FG percentage (30 out of 66) and made 12 out of their 22 three-point attempts.

Duke Deen is one guy who was important for this game. He ended up walking away with 24 points on 6 of 14 shooting. He played for 34 minutes played and collected 4 rebounds. He finished the contest at 42.9% from the floor and also recorded 3 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Bradley will enter this matchup with a win-loss record of 22-7 for the year. They currently have an average of 78.4 points per game (71st in the nation) on 48.4% from the field. The Braves are connecting on 41.1% on three-point shots (295 of 717) and 77.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Bradley is pulling in 35.0 rebounds per game and is sitting with 430 dimes for the year, which has them ranked 68th in college in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 12.0 times per game and as a unit are committing 17.0 personal fouls per game.

Defensively, the Braves are forcing their opponents into 11.4 turnovers per game while drawing 17.3 fouls. They are giving up 31.8% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 118th in the nation in points per game allowed (69.9). The Braves are allowing a field goal percentage of 40.8% (681 of 1,669) and they concede 33.1 rebounds per game as a unit. They are 132nd in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 351 relinquished so far this year.

For their last game, the Valparaiso Beacons walked away with a victory by a final of 83-79 against Southern Illinois. The Beacons were able to corral 21 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 30 for the contest. They also turned it over 7 times, while recording 8 steals in the game. Southern Illinois had 18 personal fouls for the game which took the Beacons to the free throw line for 17 shots. They were able to convert 15 of the free throws for a rate of 88.2%. In the matter of shooting from distance, Valparaiso made 10 of 27 tries (37.0%). At the conclusion of this game, the Beacons finished the game shooting 29 out of 70 from the floor which had them at 41.4%. The Beacons permitted Southern Illinois to knock down 30 out of 62 attempts from the floor which had them at 48.4% for this game. They went 47.4% from 3-point land by shooting 9 of 19 and ended up going 10 out of 16 from the charity stripe (62.5%). When talking about team rebounding, Valparaiso permitted Southern Illinois to snag 39 in all (10 offensive).

All Wright pitched in for the Beacons for the game. He knocked down 10 of 26 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 38.5%, and had 4 rebounds. He accumulated 29 points in his 36 mins on the court and tallied 3 assists in this game.

Valparaiso has a record of 13-16 so far this year. The Beacons are responsible for committing 16.7 fouls per contest and they shoot 79.3% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 11.8 times per contest (312th in the country) and they turn it over 10.0 times per game. Valparaiso has accounted for 2,205 points so far this season (76.0 per game) and they collect 34.6 rebounds per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Beacons are hitting on 43.0% from the field, which has them ranked 284th in Division 1.

The Beacons on the defensive side of the court are 278th in college in points given up per game with 75.1. They are forcing their opponents into 12.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.5% from the floor (322nd in D-1). The Valparaiso defense gives up 34.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter (215 of 623) and opponents are making 71.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 13.4 assists and 35.3 boards every game, which is 208th and 241st in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Valparaiso

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here