Western Michigan vs Valparaiso 12/5/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Valparaiso Beacons will travel to University Arena (MI) to take on the Western Michigan Broncos this Sunday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Valparaiso Beacons had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 3-5 on the season after being defeated by the Drake Bulldogs, 73-66, this past Thursday. Valparaiso trailed by a 40-32 margin at halftime and could not fight back after the Bulldogs took a 68-57 lead with 1:27 left in regulation. Valparaiso shot 48.2% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Drake to shoot 45.8% from the field & 39.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Beacons was Ben Krikke who had 20 points, 4 rebounds, & 2 blocks.

On the season, Valparaiso is averaging 71.2 ppg on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Beacons are averaging 7.9 three-pointers per game on 32.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Valparaiso has been led by Ben Krikke (17.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 spg, 1.6 bpg), Sheldon Edwards (12.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.9 bpg), Trevor Anderson (11.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.3 apg), & Thomas Kithier (11.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.4 apg).

Defensively, Valparaiso is allowing their opponents to average 69.6 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Beacons have a rebound margin of -1.8 and are averaging 7.1 steals per game.

The Western Michigan Broncos won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 3-4 on the season after defeating the SE Louisiana Lions, 81-77 (OT), this past Sunday. Western Michigan fought back from a 37-33 halftime deficit to force OT and was able to pull away after a Lamar Norman Jr. layup gave the Broncos a 77-72 lead with 2:30 left in OT. Western Michigan shot 51.9% from the field & 40.7% from beyond the arc while allowing SE Louisiana Lions to shoot 37.9% from the field & 36.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Broncos was Lamar Norman Jr. who had 31 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, Western Michigan is averaging 69.6 ppg on 43.7% shooting from the field. The Broncos are averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game on 36.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Western Michigan has been led by Lamar Norman Jr. (20.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.9 apg), Mack Smith (11.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.0 spg), Markeese Hastings (9.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.6 apg), & Adrian Martin (5.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.7 apg).

Defensively, Western Michigan is allowing their opponents to an average of 82.3 ppg on 46.3% shooting from the field. The Broncos have a rebound margin of -1.6 and a turnover margin of -6.4.

The Beacons are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 Sunday road games, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. MAC opponents. The Broncos are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games and just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win.

Valparaiso comes into this game ranked 197^th in scoring offense, 111^th in FG%, & t-200^th in scoring defense. Western Michigan has been decent making three-pointers as they rank 50^th in three-pointers made per game, however, the Broncos have struggled defensively and currently rank just 340^th in scoring defense & 303^rd in defensive FG%.

Western Michigan has been able to pick up a few wins as of late, however, needed OT to beat both Purdue Fort Wayne & SE Louisiana doesn’t give me a bunch of confidence with the Broncos. Valparaiso has picked up some nice wins against Jacksonville State & Tulane and as I think their offense is going to have plenty of success against this Western Michigan defense, I’m taking Valparaiso to cover this road spread. Good Luck!