Valparaiso Crusaders vs Purdue Boilermakers Prediction, 12/4/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Valparaiso Crusaders vs Purdue Boilermakers

Date: Friday, December 4, 2020

Location: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, IN

TV: Big Ten Network

Odds/Point Spread: Valparaiso (+16.5)

Mackey Arena is the site where and the Purdue Boilermakers (2-1) will play the Valparaiso Crusaders (0-2) on Friday. The line on this matchup has Purdue as 16.5-point favorites. The O/U opens at 139.

Valparaiso enters this contest with a record of 0-2 so far this season. The Crusaders are shooting 24.5% on shots from downtown (12 of 49) and 54.2% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 60.5 pts per contest (250th in college basketball) while shooting 40.3% from the field. They lose possession via turnover 13.5 times per game and as a group they are committing 18.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Valparaiso is pulling down 32.0 boards per contest and has 27 dimes on the year, which ranks 195th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. On defense, the Crusaders are forcing their opponents into 14.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 13.5 personal fouls. The Crusaders defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 41.8% (46 of 110) and they relinquish 39.5 boards per game as a unit. They are currently ranked 153rd in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 33 surrendered on the season. They give up 34.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 163rd in Division 1 in PPG allowed (71.5).

The Valparaiso Crusaders faced off with the UIC Flames and took a loss by a score of 66-50 in their last contest. Valparaiso wrapped up the game with a 37.7% FG percentage (20 out of 53) and knocked down 1 of their 14 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Crusaders converted 9 of their 16 attempts for a percentage of 56.3%. Regarding pulling down rebounds, they compiled 27 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 9 assists in this matchup as well as earning 3 steals and 2 rejections. With respect to defending, Valparaiso allowed their opponent to shoot 37.7% from the field on 20 of 53. UIC doled out 19 assists and 3 steals in the matchup. Additionally, the Flames snagged 31 rebounds (5 offensive, 26 defensive) and earned 2 rejections. UIC finished shooting 78.6% from the charity stripe by making 11 of their 14 shots. They also knocked down 9 out of their 26 attempts from long range.

Donovan Clay is one player who was a factor for this contest. He finished with 12 points on 4 of 10 shooting. He saw the court for 36 minutes and totaled 2 rebounds. Clay went 40.0% from the field and recorded 2 assists. Someone else that saw a lot of court time in this contest for the Crusaders was Daniel Sackey. He collected 2 rebounds and also had 2 dimes. He finished the contest at 50.0% from the floor in this contest by shooting 4-of-8 (8 points). When the game finished, Sackey played for 32 min.

Purdue has a win-loss mark of 2-1 on the year. As an offensive team, the Boilermakers are hitting on 52.6% from the floor, which ranks 95th in the country. Purdue has scored 240 pts this season (80.0 per contest) and they average 35.7 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 19.3 times per game (27th in college hoops) and they turn it over 16.7 times per contest. The Boilermakers are committing 16.0 fouls every game while shooting 75.8% from the free throw line. The Boilermakers defensively are ranked 88th in college basketball in PPG given up with 65.0. They relinquish 14.0 dimes and 23.0 rebounds per game, which is 186th and 4th in college hoops. The Purdue defense allows 29.6% on shots from distance (24 of 81) and opponents are converting on 74.5% of their foul shots. They have forced 13.0 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.2% from the field (122nd in Division 1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Purdue Boilermakers got the victory with a final of 93-50 when they played the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The Boilermakers were able to corral 26 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 in the matchup. They blocked 2 attempts while recording 4 steals for the matchup. The Golden Grizzlies were called for 12 fouls for the matchup which took the Boilermakers to the free throw line for a total of 11 attempts. They were able to make 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 90.9%. Regarding shots from beyond the perimeter, Purdue knocked down 17 of 32 tries (53.1%). At the conclusion of this game, the Boilermakers finished 33 for 60 from the floor which gave them a rate of 55.0%. The Boilermakers permitted the Golden Grizzlies to bury 18 of 54 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 33.3% for the contest. They finished 14.3% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 3 of 21 and finished the contest at 11 out of 16 at the free throw line (68.8%). In reference to attacking the glass, Purdue allowed Oakland to grab 17 in total (9 on the offensive side).

Brandon Newman ended up playing a lot for the Boilermakers in this matchup. He buried 7 out of 11 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 63.6%, which had him finishing with 21 points. Newman totaled 4 rebounds in his 27 mins and accumulated 3 assists in this contest. Another guy that played a role for Purdue was Sasha Stefanovic. He totaled 20 points in his 29 minutes on the court via 6 out of 9 shooting for the game. Stefanovic finished going 66.7% from the field while also contributing 7 assists and 2 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Valparaiso (+16.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here