Missouri State Bears vs Valparaiso Beacons Prediction, 2/19/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Missouri State Bears vs Valparaiso Beacons

Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Location: Athletics-Recreation Center in Washington, DC

TV: ESPN+

The Valparaiso Beacons (11-15) will go up against the Missouri State Bears (9-17) at Athletics-Recreation Center on Wednesday.

The Missouri State Bears played Evansville and took home the win by a score of 71-54 in their last contest. Missouri State wrapped up the game having earned a 51.0% FG percentage (26 out of 51) and converted 9 out of their 23 shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, the Bears knocked down 10 of their 19 attempts for a percentage of 52.6%. In reference to pulling down rebounds, they earned 30 with 8 of them being offensive. They also doled out 10 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In relation to the defense, Missouri State allowed the other team to go 43.1% from the field on 22 out of 51 shooting. Evansville distributed 9 assists and had 6 steals for this game. On top of that, Evansville snagged 25 rebounds (8 offensive, 17 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Evansville walked away from this one shooting 35.7% at the charity stripe by making 5 of their 14 shots. They converted 5 of 20 shots from distance. When discussing personal fouls, the Bears walked away with 17 and Evansville finished the game with 14 personal fouls.

Michael Osei-Bonsu is one player who was a major contributor in the matchup. He finished 66.7% from the floor and distributed 4 assists. He played for 30 mins played and grabbed 7 rebounds. He recorded 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting.

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Missouri State heads into this game with a record of 9-17 for the year. They average 69.5 points per game (294th in the nation) while shooting 45.5% from the floor. The Bears are connecting on 36.6% on shots from downtown (192 of 525) and 64.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Missouri State is snagging 32.5 rebounds per game and is sitting with 319 dimes this season, which is 241st in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 13.7 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 18.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Bears are able to force 13.4 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.9 fouls. They relinquish 35.7% on 3-point attempts and they are 178th in D-1 in PPG allowed (71.4). The Bears defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 46.9% (650 of 1,385) and they relinquish 31.3 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 241st in college in giving up assists with 344 surrendered for the season.

In their last game, the Valparaiso Beacons got the victory with a final of 101-86 when they faced Belmont. With respect to how they rebounded, Valparaiso allowed Belmont to snag 24 in all (7 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 51.7% from distance by shooting 15 of 29 and ended up going 11 of 14 from the free throw line (78.6%). The Beacons allowed Belmont to make 30 of their 61 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 49.2% in the matchup. Overall, the Beacons finished the game shooting 33 out of 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 56.9%. In regard to shooting from downtown, Valparaiso converted 10 out of their 18 attempts (55.6%). They were able to make 25 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 96.2%. Belmont committed 20 fouls in this matchup which got the Beacons to the charity stripe for a total of 26 tries. They gave up possession 9 times, while recording 6 steals in the matchup. The Beacons were able to corral 25 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 33 for the game.

Cooper Schwieger ended up being important for the Beacons for the contest. He racked up 27 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 assists in this contest. He converted 11 of 19 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 57.9%, and had 13 rebounds.

Valparaiso has a win-loss mark of 11-15 for the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Beacons are hitting on 43.3% from the field, which is 260th in D-1. Valparaiso has totaled 1,987 points for the campaign (76.4 per game) and they collect 35.2 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 11.8 times per contest (317th in college hoops) and they cough up possession 10.2 times per game. The Beacons are committing 16.8 fouls every game and they connect on 78.7% from the charity stripe.

The Valparaiso defense gives up 34.8% on 3-point attempts (196 of 564) and their opponents are knocking down 71.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 13.2 dimes and 34.8 rebounds every game, which ranks them 185th and 214th in those categories on the defensive end. The Beacons on the defensive end are ranked 278th in the nation in PPG given up with 75.2. They are able to force 12.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.5% from the field (324th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Missouri State

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