Florida A&M vs Mississippi Valley State Prediction, Odds and Picks - Jan. 22 | College Basketball Season 2023-24

Two teams desperate for a victory will face off in a Southwestern Athletic Conference showdown on Monday night as Florida A&M visits Mississippi Valley State. The last two teams without a conference win in the SWAC will face off, with FAMU as a solid road favorite as Valley looks to claim its first win of the season.

Florida A&M coach Robert McCullum has yet to post a winning season in his seven years with the Rattlers (2-13, 0-4 SWAC).

FAMU won its first two games in December but has struggled, particularly with major conference opponents, as SWAC teams traditionally do. In their last game of 2023, the team lost 94-62 to South Carolina. But guard Jalen Speer has averaged 20.0 points per game since joining the team five games ago.

Mississippi Valley State (0-18, 0-5) has not won 10 games in a season since 2012, when former Kentucky star Sean Woods took the Delta Devils to the NCAA Tournament. Under second-year coach George Ivory, Valley has lost by an average of 30.4 ppg this season, and the Delta Devils have the second-most turnovers per game in the nation, at 17.4 per game.

MVSU played a brutal preconference schedule but has been more competitive in league play, losing its first three SWAC games by a combined 22 points.

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Mississippi Valley State coach George Ivory seeks his team's first win of the year against Florida A&M.

Florida A&M vs. Mississippi Valley State prediction

Both FAMU and Valley have struggled greatly on both ends. If there is an X-factor in this game it is probably A&M's Speer, a talented senior guard who averaged double-digit scoring totals at A&M in 2020-21 and 2021-22 before transferring to Santa Fe College. He has 29- and 32-point games in his five appearances and could replicate that performance.

Mississippi Valley State is struggling just to keep its head up. A team that is averaging 51.8 ppg will struggle to stay in most games. Even so, this matchup is a home game for MVSU, and guard Rayquan Brown has played well recently.

Still, points are the name of the game, as FAMU looks like a team with too much firepower.

Florida A&M 70, Mississippi Valley State 58

Florida A&M vs. Mississippi Valley State betting odds

Florida A&M is a 5.5-point road favorite, although the line is down from opening at around -7.5. The over/under is at 133.5, which is interesting as both teams give up over 80 points per game, but each struggles to score. Given the desperation of two teams with a combined two wins, the under could end up getting plenty of action.

Florida A&M vs. Mississippi Valley State head-to-head

The two teams have split four games all-time, with Florida A&M claiming the last two wins in the series. A season ago, FAMU scraped by Valley 60-59 in Tallahassee.

Where to watch Florida A&M vs. Mississippi Valley State

The Florida A&M-Mississippi Valley State game will not be broadcast nationally, although MVSU offers a streaming broadcast for a fee via https://valleystatesportsnetwork.com/.