Valparaiso vs Murray State 12/4/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Murray State Racers and Valparaiso Crusaders meet Sunday in college basketball action at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The Murray State Racers look for their fifth win. The Valparaiso Crusaders look for their fourth win.

The Murray State Racers are averaging 75.4 points on 45 percent shooting and allowing 70 points on 39.7 percent shooting. Jamari Smith is averaging 17 points and 5.7 rebounds, while Rob Perry is averaging 14.6 points and 4.7 rebounds. JaCobi Wood is the third double-digit scorer and Kenny White Jr. is grabbing 5.1 rebounds. The Murray State Racers are shooting 31 percent from beyond the arc and 70.1 percent from the free throw line. The Murray State Racers are allowing 29.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34.6 rebounds per game.

The Valparaiso Crusaders are averaging 67.1 points on 43.2 percent shooting and allowing 74.5 points on 43.3 percent shooting. Ben Krikke is averaging 19.3 points and 6.8 rebounds, while Kobe King is averaging 17.8 points and 2.8 rebounds. Quinton Green is the third double-digit scorer and Nick Edwards is grabbing 3 rebounds. The Valparaiso Crusaders are shooting 26.5 percent from beyond the arc and 70.8 percent from the free throw line. The Valparaiso Crusaders are allowing 39.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 29.5 rebounds per game.

The Racers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games and 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 Sunday games. The Beacons are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss and 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The under is 4-0 in Racers last 4 overall. The under is 4-1 in Beacons last 5 overall.

There’s little doubt the Murray State Racers are the better team here, with far and away more scoring depth. The Valparaiso Crusaders are losing their last 5 games by an average of 9.4 points, and they’re shooting 39.7 percent from the field during that stretch. That’s not going to fly against a team like Murray State. I’ll lay the chalk.