The Western Michigan Broncos and the Valparaiso Beacons meet Sunday in college basketball action from Athletics-Recreation Center. Western Michigan is 1-1 on the season so far and coming off a win over Goshen. As for Valparaiso, they lost to Toledo in their season opener back on Monday. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Western Michigan opened up their year with a matchup versus Minnesota. The Broncos were down 35-26 by halftime but made a game of it in a 61-60 loss. Lamar Norman led the team on 15 points with four assists and four rebounds.
In game two against Goshen, Western Michigan had a much easier time. The Broncos were up by a 43-25 margin at the break and cruised to a 99-62 blowout win. Titus Wright and Tafari Simms posted 13 points apiece to lead the scoring.
Over on the Valparaiso side, they had a pretty mediocre season in 2021-22. The Beacons went 14-18 overall with a 6-12 record in Missouri Valley Conference play. That result left Valparaiso in seventh place in the standings.
In their first action of the 2022-23 season, the Beacons took on Toledo. Valparaiso was down 52-26 by halftime, limping to an 85-70 loss. Quinton Green led the team on 20 points, and Ben Krikke doubled with 18 points and 12 boards.
PICK: I’m going to stay with Western Michigan. The Broncos rallied in their opener to give Minnesota a game, hauling in 40 rebounds (to Minnesota’s 42) along the way. WMU shot a tepid 34.8 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from 3-point range, however. Game two against Goshen went as smoothly as could be expected, and Valparaiso will probably fall somewhere in between the two challenge-wise for Western Michigan. I like the Broncos to take care of business here with a convincing cover.