Murray State vs Valparaiso Prediction: Live Odds, Stats, History & Picks – Thursday, March 2, 2023

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The Valparaiso Beacons (11-20, 5-15 MVC) will try to break a five-game road skid when taking on the Murray State Racers (16-14, 11-9 MVC) on Thursday, March 2, 2023 at Enterprise Center, airing at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN+.

Thursday’s matchup between the Racers and the Beacons features a slim line of Murray State -1. The point total for the game is 141.5.

Murray State vs. Valparaiso Odds

Point Spread for Murray State vs. Valparaiso

The spread for this matchup is set at 1 point, with oddsmakers listing Murray State as the favorite.

Murray State vs. Valparaiso Moneyline

As for the moneyline, Murray State has -120 odds to pick up the win, while Valparaiso is listed at -100 to claim victory.

Over/Under

Finally, the total for the game is set at 141.5 points.

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Game Time and How to Watch

  • Game Day: Thursday, March 2, 2023
  • Game Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN+
  • Location: St. Louis, Missouri
  • Arena: Enterprise Center

Murray State vs. Valparaiso Betting Trends

Murray State is 12-16-1 against the spread this year. The Racers have been victorious in 10, or 90.9%, of the 11 contests they have been chosen as favorites in this season. Murray State’s games this year have gone over the point total 18 times in 30 opportunities (60%).

Valparaiso has played 30 games, with 13 wins, against the spread. The Beacons have won 10% of the games this season they were the moneyline underdog (2-18). Valparaiso’s games this year have gone over the total in 19 of 30 opportunities (63.3%).

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Murray State vs. Valparaiso Key Players to Watch

Murray State

Jacobi Wood leads the Racers at 4.5 assists per game, while also posting 4.3 rebounds and 10.7 points. Rob Perry averages 14.1 points and 1.9 assists per game — both team highs. He is also posting 4.5 rebounds, shooting 42.7% from the floor and 35.1% from beyond the arc with 1.8 made 3-pointers per contest. Damiree Burns leads the Racers at 6.6 rebounds per contest, while also putting up 1.2 assists and 8.8 points. Jamari Smith averages 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per contest, shooting 44.3% from the field.

Valparaiso

Ben Krikke is posting team highs in points (19.6 per game) and rebounds (5.9). And he is contributing 2.1 assists, making 55% of his shots from the floor. Kobe King gets the Beacons 16.4 points, 4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. He also delivers 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocked shots. Nick Edwards is the Beacons’ top assist man (5 per game), and he posts 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds. The Beacons receive 10.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game from Quinton Green.

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What you need to know about the Murray State Racers

In Murray State’s 20 MVC games this season, the combined scoring has gone over the point total 15 times. The Racers are 205th in college basketball with 70.5 points per game so far this year. At the other end, they rank 258th with 72.7 points allowed per game. Murray State ranks 223rd in the country with 31.1 boards per game this year. Meanwhile, it ranks 213th with 31.6 rebounds allowed per contest.

With 6.1 threes per game, Murray State ranks 311th in college basketball. It has a 33.2% shooting percentage from three-point land, which ranks 241st in college basketball. The Racers are allowing 8.5 three-pointers per game (321st-ranked in college basketball). They are allowing opponents to shoot 34.1% (201st-ranked) from beyond the arc.

The Racers are 4-5-1 against the spread and 5-5 overall in their past 10 contests. In its past 10 contests, Murray State has gone over the total eight times. Murray State has seen a downturn in scoring recently, putting up 68.9 points per game in its last 10 outings, 1.6 points fewer than the 70.5 it has scored this season. Murray State has been a little suspect on the defensive end of the floor of late, allowing 78.8 points per game over its last 10 contests compared to the 72.7 it has conceded this season.

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What you need to know about the Valparaiso Beacons

Valparaiso has put together a 10-10-0 ATS record so far this season in conference play. At 69.5 points scored per game and 73.5 points conceded, the Beacons are 231st in college basketball offensively and 283rd on defense. At 30.9 rebounds per game and 31.4 rebounds allowed, Valparaiso is 240th and 196th in the country, respectively.

In 2022-23 Valparaiso is 296th in college basketball in 3-point makes (6.3 per game) and 18th-worst in 3-point percentage (30.4%). The Beacons give up 7.4 3-pointers per game and concede 33.8% from beyond the arc, ranking 204th and 178th, respectively, in the nation.

The Beacons have gone 2-8 over their last 10 contests, with a 5-5 record against the spread during that span. In its past 10 games, Valparaiso has hit the over eight times. Valparaiso is posting 71.6 points per game over its past 10 games, compared to its season average of 69.5. While the Beacons are surrendering 73.5 points per game in 2022-23, they have been worse in their last 10 games, allowing 76 points per contest.

Murray State vs. Valparaiso Prediction & Pick

Our prediction to win this contest is Murray State, and we expect that Valparaiso will cover the spread (Murray State -1). Finally, we see the scoring in this one going over the posted total of 141.5 points.

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How to bet Murray State vs. Valparaiso

You can bet on Murray State vs. Valparaiso at every legal online sportsbook. For more college basketball odds, including moneylines, spreads, over/under totals, check out the latest NCAA lines as well as our guide to the best college basketball betting sites.

And if you wanted to check out how much you could win on a $10 bet if you parlayed today’s Murray State vs. Valparaiso picks, don’t forget to check out our free parlay calculator.

Not sure what a parlay is? Or even how to bet on college basketball? Check out our complete guide to sports betting.

WRITTEN BY

Matt Rooney

Matt comes from Chicago and has lived in the area his whole life. Graduated from and played football at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL while also serving as the director of student sports broadcasting. He writes for Betsperts as well as appears on several shows across the network.

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