Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Drake and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Valparaiso 43-29.
Drake entered the matchup having won four straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it five, or will Valparaiso step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Valparaiso Beacons @ Drake Bulldogs
Current Records: Valparaiso 10-9, Drake 16-2
How To Watch
What to Know
Valparaiso is 1-9 against Drake since February of 2020 but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. Both will face off in a Missouri Valley battle at 7:30 p.m. ET at Knapp Center. The Beacons are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 77.7 points per game this season.
Valparaiso is headed into Wednesday’s match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Saturday. They fell 81-74 to UIC. The contest was a 38-38 toss-up at halftime, but the Beacons couldn’t quite close it out.
The losing side was boosted by All Wright, who went 7 for 12 en route to 18 points plus five assists. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in assists.
Meanwhile, Drake waltzed into their game on Saturday with three straight wins… but they left with four. They strolled past the Sycamores with points to spare, taking the game 71-53.
Drake’s success was spearheaded by the efforts of Mitch Mascari, who went 5 for 7 en route to 19 points plus two steals, and Bennett Stirtz, who almost dropped a double-double on 16 points and nine assists.
Valparaiso’s defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-9. As for Drake, their win bumped their record up to 16-2.
Wednesday’s matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Valparaiso has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 37 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for Drake, though, as they’ve been averaging only 31.7. Given Valparaiso’s sizable advantage in that area, Drake will need to find a way to close that gap.
Valparaiso is hoping to beat the odds on Wednesday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, keep Valparaiso’s opponent in mind: they have a solid 7-1 record against the spread vs Drake over their last eight matchups.
Odds
Drake is a big 14-point favorite against Valparaiso, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bulldogs as a 14.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 128.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Drake has won 9 out of their last 10 games against Valparaiso.
- Dec 05, 2024 – Drake 66 vs. Valparaiso 60
- Jan 31, 2024 – Drake 81 vs. Valparaiso 70
- Nov 29, 2023 – Drake 83 vs. Valparaiso 65
- Feb 04, 2023 – Drake 85 vs. Valparaiso 82
- Dec 29, 2022 – Drake 68 vs. Valparaiso 63
- Feb 23, 2022 – Drake 71 vs. Valparaiso 65
- Dec 02, 2021 – Drake 73 vs. Valparaiso 66
- Feb 07, 2021 – Valparaiso 74 vs. Drake 57
- Feb 06, 2021 – Drake 80 vs. Valparaiso 77
- Feb 19, 2020 – Drake 77 vs. Valparaiso 75
