Drake vs Valparaiso Prediction, Odds, Line, Spread, Picks, and Preview - December 29

The Drake Bulldogs will be hosting the Valparaiso Beacons on Thursday. These Missouri Valley Conference schools square off tonight. Drake are up to 10-3 on the year following last Wednesday's 76-point win over St. Ambrose, who are a non-D1 school. Valparaiso, who are 0-2 in conference play, previously topped Stonehill 77-67 to move to 6-7. Tonight, the Bulldogs will try to win their seventh straight home game to start the year, while the Beacons, who are 0-5 on the road, desperately seek their first away victory.

Valparaiso Beacons vs. Drake Bulldogs Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Total	Money Line
Valparaiso Beacons	+16 (-110)	Over 140.5 (-110)	+950
Drake Bulldogs	-16 (-110)	Under 140.5 (-110)	-1650

Odds Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

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Valparaiso Beacons vs. Drake Bulldogs Match Details

Fixture: Valparaiso Beacons @ Drake Bulldogs

Date & Time: Thursday, December 29, 9:00 p.m. EDT

Venue: Knapp Center

Valparaiso Beacons vs. Drake Bulldogs Key Stats

Valparaiso have been up and down this year, and when they've struggled, it's been because of their defense. They're not forcing many turnovers overall, helping their opponents gain more possessions. On offense, the Beacons are led by seniors Ben Krikke and Kobe King, who are averaging 18.3 and 17.6 points per game, respectively. These two have carried the scoring load, while Krikke has also helped on the glass, averaging 6.1 boards per contest. Teammate Jerome Palm isn't a big-time scorer, but he also averages 6.1 rebounds. Outside of these two, the team has had issues securing rebounds, especially on the offensive glass, where they tally just 7.2 per game. For Valparaiso, they've underwhelmed overall, and they've been really bad on the road, so they'll look to turn a corner tonight.

Drake has been very solid on offense, currently averaging 107.9 points per 100 possessions, and Tucker DeVries has been a huge part of that. DeVries, who led the Bulldogs in scoring as a freshman, is leading again, up at 13.9 points per game. He's the go-to scorer, and he's shot an efficient 49.1% from the field entering tonight's contest.

Drake doesn't have a ton of size in their frontcourt, which hurts them on the offensive glass, but they have done well when it comes to defensive rebounding. Also, on defense, the Bulldogs hold opponents to under 93 points per 100 possessions, so expect them to try and execute a similar game plan against Valparaiso tonight.

Valparaiso Beacons vs. Drake Bulldogs Betting Prediction

Valparaiso comes into this game just 2-10 against the spread this year. They're winless at home through five contests, while Drake is a perfect 6-0 on their home floor. This is a mismatch in terms of talent, so back Drake here to win and cover tonight behind their home crowd.