Illinois State vs Valparaiso 2/9/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Valparaiso Beacons will travel to Redbird Arena to take on the Illinois State Redbirds this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The Valparaiso Beacons snapped a 2-game losing streak and improved to 11-12 on the season after defeating the Indiana State Sycamores, 79-72 (2OT), this past Saturday. Valparaiso was solid defensively against Indiana State and was able to pull away for the victory after taking a 77-70 lead with just :40 seconds left in double-OT. Valparaiso shot 45.9% from the field & 31.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Indiana State to shoot 38.5% from the field & 34.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Beacons was Kobe King who had a double-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, & 1 steal.

On the season, Valparaiso is averaging 71.7 ppg on 46.1% shooting from the field. The Beacons are averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game on 33.1% from beyond the arc. Offensively, Valparaiso has been led by Kobe King (14.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.1 spg), Ben Krikke (14.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.4 apg), Kevion Taylor (11.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 spg), & Sheldon Edwards (11.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Valparaiso is allowing their opponents to average 70.6 ppg on 44.9% shooting from the field. The Beacons have a rebound margin of -1.6 and a turnover margin of 0.9.

The Illinois State Redbirds lost their 5^th straight game and dropped to 10-14 on the season after being defeated by the Southern Illinois Salukis, 75-69, this past Saturday. Illinois State trailed by a 41-38 margin at halftime and could not fight back after the Salukis took a 62-51 lead with 8:52 left in regulation. Illinois State shot 41.5% from the field & 30.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Southern Illinois to shoot 51.9% from the field & 44.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Redbirds was Josiah Strong who had 18 points, 6 rebounds, & 1 steal.

On the season, Illinois State is averaging 77.1 ppg on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Redbirds are averaging 7.9 three-pointers per game on 36.6% shooting from the field. Offensively, Illinois State has been led by Antonio Reeves (19.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg), Sy Chatman (13.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg), Josiah Strong (12.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.0 spg), & Kendall Lewis (9.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.1 spg, 1.1 bpg).

Defensively, Illinois State is allowing their opponents to average 76.7 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Redbirds have a rebound margin of -0.1 and a turnover margin of -1.0.

The Beacons are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. Illinois State and 13-6 ATS in their last 19 February games. The Redbirds are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games & 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games.

Valparaiso is coming off a nice win at Indiana State, however, this is a team that has overall struggled on the road this season as they have just a 2-5 road record which included a recent 22-point loss at Southern Illinois. Illinois State hasn’t picked up a win in a few weeks, however, they have been solid ATS and between the fact that Illinois State is 9-4 at home and that their high-scoring offense should have plenty of success putting up points against a Valparaiso defense that ranks just 219^th in scoring defense & 278^th in defensive FG%, I’m taking Illinois State to cover this small home spread. Good Luck!