Murray State Racers vs Valparaiso Beacons Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Valparaiso vs Murray State NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Murray.

Valparaiso vs Murray State Prediction

Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Beacons versus the Racers? Tip off is at at 4:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on ESPN+. The game will be played at CFSB Center in Murray, KY. This Missouri Valley conference matchup has an over/under of 145.5 points, and Murray State is favored to win by -8.5 at home vs. Valparaiso.

Valparaiso vs. Murray State Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Valparaiso Beacons at Murray State Racers
Where: Murray at CFSB Center
Date: Saturday, January 11th
Betting Odds MURST -8.5, VALP +310 | MURST -400 O/U 145.5

Beacons Preview: Will Valparaiso Be The Talk of CFSB Center?

Valparaiso Beacons Recent Game/Games

Valparaiso improved to 8-6 on the season after a 98-95 win over Indiana State on Wednesday. The Beacons were favored by 1.5 points and covered the spread in the win.

Valpo led 45-40 at halftime and scored 41 points in the 2nd half, but allowed 46 points to Indiana State. The game’s total points of 193 went over the O/U line of 162.5.

Beacons Offense Breakdown

Valparaiso put up 98 points in their last game, shooting 47.6% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 54%. They connected on 44.4% of their threes, hitting 8 of 18 attempts, and went 32 for 43 from the free-throw line, shooting 74.4%.

All Wright led the way with 25 points, while Cooper Schwieger, Tyler Schmidt, and Samage Teel each added 23 points. Teel also dished out 7 assists. Schwieger and Schmidt both shot 50% from three-point range, with Schmidt hitting 58.3% overall.

Beacons Team Defense

Valparaiso's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 95 points while allowing their opponent to shoot 47% from the field. They allowed 22 made two-point shots on 45 attempts, a 48% shooting percentage.

From beyond the arc, Valparaiso's defense gave up 8 threes on 18 attempts, a 44% shooting percentage. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 43 times, where they made 32 free throws for a 74% rate. Valparaiso allowed 10 offensive rebounds.

Racers Preview: Can Murray State Secure a Home Victory?

Murray State improved to 8-7 on the season with a 71-68 win over Northern Iowa on Wednesday. The Racers, who were +5.5 point underdogs, not only pulled off the upset but also covered the spread.

Murray State led 33-27 at halftime but allowed 41 points in the 2nd half while scoring 38. The game’s total points of 139 narrowly exceeded the O/U line of 137.5.

Racers Offense Breakdown

Murray State's offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, shooting 55.8% from the field and an impressive 57.1% from beyond the arc, hitting 12 of 21 threes. Their effective field goal percentage was a remarkable 69.8%.

Trey Campbell led the way with 17 points, while Tytan Anderson added 15 points and 4 assists. Leon Bond III and Alden Applewhite both shot 100%, with Applewhite hitting 3 threes in 3 attempts.

Racers Team Defense

Even though Murray State gave up 68 points, they allowed their opponent to shoot 51% from the field, including 59% on two-point attempts, where they went 23/39. From beyond the arc, the opponent shot 4/13, hitting 30% of their threes.

At the free-throw line, Murray State's opponent made 10/12, shooting 83%. The Racers gave up 6 offensive rebounds in the game.

Beacons vs Racers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Across their ten previous road games, Valparaiso has an ATS mark of 6-4. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-8 while averaging 68 points per game.
In their last three home games, Murray State has averaged 75 points per game while allowing 73. The team's record in this stretch was 2-1 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
Valparaiso has done well both straight up and vs the spread as the underdog, going 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three games.
Looking back on the team's last five games as the favorite, the Racers have a straight up record of 2-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 1-4.