Valparaiso vs Drake 2/23/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Drake Bulldogs will travel to the Athletics-Recreation Center to take on the Valparaiso Beacons this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The Drake Bulldogs won their 3^rd straight game and improved to 20-9 on the season after defeating the Indiana State Sycamores, 74-58, this past Monday. Drake trailed by a 36-32 margin at halftime, however, the Bulldogs were outstanding on both ends of the court in the 2^nd half and was able to pull away after taking a 64-49 lead with 5:33 left in regulation. Drake shot 47.1% from the field & 23.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Indiana State to shoot 34.6% from the field & 41.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Roman Penn who had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Drake is averaging 74.6 ppg on 45.7% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 34.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Drake has been led by Tucker Devries (14.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Garrett Sturtz (11.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.4 spg), Roman Penn (10.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.1 spg), & D.J. Wilkins (10.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.9 apg).

Defensively, Drake is allowing their opponents to average 66.6 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 2.8 and a turnover margin of 2.5.

The Valparaiso Beacons won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 13-15 on the season after defeating the Evansville Purple Aces, 74-69, this past Monday. Valparaiso led by a 36-30 margin at halftime and was able to pull away late in the 2^nd half after taking a 65-60 lead with :58 seconds left in regulation. Valparaiso shot 50.0% from the field & 22.2% from beyond the arc while allowing Evansville to shoot 43.5% from the field & 38.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Beacons was Kevion Taylor who had 23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 block.

On the season, Valparaiso is averaging 71.6 ppg on 46.3% shooting from the field. The Beacons are averaging 7.2 three-pointers per game on 33.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Valparaiso has been led by Ben Krikke (14.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.6 apg), Kobe King (14.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 spg), Kevion Taylor (12.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 spg), & Sheldon Edwards (11.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Valparaiso is allowing their opponents to average 70.8 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field. The Beacons have a rebound margin of -1.0 and a turnover margin of 0.6.

The Bulldogs are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 February games, however, are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games vs. Valparaiso. The Beacons are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games, however, are just 5-8 ATS at home on the season.

Valparaiso has been decent on the offensive end this season, however, the Beacons have had issues defensively and come into this game ranked 224^th in scoring defense, 286^th in defensive FG%, & 246^th in rebound margin. Drake is 7-2 on the road this season and between the fact that the Bulldogs have been solid on both ends of the court (94^th in scoring offense; 102^nd in scoring defense) and that Drake was already able to pick up a 73-66 win over Valparaiso earlier this season, I’m taking Drake to cover this mid-range home spread. Good Luck!