Valparaiso vs Elon 12/18/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Elon Phoenix (2-9) vs. Valparaiso Beacons (4-7)
December 18, 2022 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Valparaiso Beacons -8.6 / Elon Phoenix +8.5; Over/Under: +137.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Elon Phoenix and the Valparaiso Beacons meet in college basketball action from the Athletics-Recreation Center on Sunday afternoon.
The Elon Phoenix will look to rebound from a 69-63 loss to Presbyterian last time out. Sean Halloran has 13.4 PPG and a team-high 5 APG to lead the Phoenix in assists while Zac Ervin has 11 PPG and Max Mackinnon has 10.2 PPG with a team-high 5 RPG to lead the Phoenix on the glass and to round out the trio of double-digit scorers for Elon so far this season. As a team, Elon is averaging 68.9 PPG on 42.2% shooting from the field, 30.4% from three and 69.5% from the foul line this season.
The Valparaiso Beacons will look to bounce back from a 98-61 loss to Ole Miss in their last game. Ben Krikke leads the Beacons in scoring and rebounding with 20.1 PPG and 6.2 RPG while Kobe King has 17.3 PPG and Quinton Green has 10.3 PPG with 3.4 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Valparaiso so far this season. Darius DeAveiro also has a team-high 3.7 APG up to this point for the Beacons to lead Valpo in the assist department. As a team, Valparaiso is averaging 69.5 PPG on 43.5% shooting from the field, 28.5% from three and 72.6% from the foul line this season.
Elon is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall and the under is 4-1 in their last 5 games following a loss. Valparaiso is 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games overall and 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS loss while the over is 7-1 in their last 8 games against a team with a winning percentage below .400.
I get the case to be made for fading either side here as I’m not looking to bet this one too aggressively, but I’m taking the under instead. I don’t trust either offense to do enough to contribute to the number here, and OT or a step up in competition has been the only reason for the Beacons’ recent games going over. This feels like a game that hangs around the low-130s at the most here, so give me the under.
