Alcorn State vs Mississippi Valley State 3/3/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils will travel to the Davey L. Whitney Complex to take on the Alcorn State Braves this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 2-24 on the season after being defeated by the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, 93-79, this past Saturday. Mississippi Valley State struggled defensively against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and could not fight back after the Golden Lions took a 77-60 lead with 9:12 left in regulation. Mississippi Valley State shot 41.4% from the field & 45.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Arkansas-Pine Bluff to shoot 48.4% from the field & 44.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Delta Devils was Devin Gordon who had 22 points & 5 rebounds.

On the season, Mississippi Valley State is averaging 67.1 ppg on 38.5% shooting from the field. The Delta Devils are averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 30.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Mississippi Valley State has been led by Robert Carpenter (16.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg), Caleb Hunter (13.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 spg), Devin Gordon (11.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg), & Gary Grant (10.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.2 apg).

Defensively, Mississippi Valley State is allowing their opponents to average 83.7 ppg on 50.7% shooting from the field. The Delta Devils have a rebound margin of -11.1 and a turnover margin of 2.3.

The Alcorn Braves won their 4^th straight game and improved to 13-5 on the season after defeating the Texas Southern Tigers, 75-72, this past Monday night. Alcorn was solid on the defensive end against Texas Southern and was able to hold on for the victory after taking a 63-50 lead with 5:25 left in regulation. Alcorn shot 40.0% from the field & 36.8% from beyond the arc while allowing Texas Southern to shoot 38.1% from the field & 26.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Braves was Justin Thomas who had 12 points, 3 rebounds, & 5 assists.

On the season, Alcorn is averaging 65.5 ppg on 41.1% shooting from the field. The Braves are averaging 5.4 three-pointers per game on 31.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Alcorn has been led by Justin Thomas (10.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.9 spg), Keondre Montgomery (9.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg), Dominic Brewton (8.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.3 spg), & Lenell Henry (8.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg).

Defensively, Alcorn is allowing their opponents to average 70.8 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The Braves have a rebound margin of 0.9 and a turnover margin of -1.1.

The Delta Devils are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss & 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS loss. The Braves are 18-10 ATS overall on the season, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.

Mississippi Valley State has been solid ATS as of late, however, this is still a very bad basketball team that has been terrible on the defensive end this season as the Delta Devils come into this game ranked just 350^th in scoring defense, 350^th in defensive FG%, & 350^th in rebound margin. Alcorn State has won 6 of their last 7 games which includes an impressive road win at Texas Southern and as I expect the Braves to keep the foot on the gas pedal now that they are the top-seed in the SWAC, I’m taking Alcorn to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!