Belmont Bruins vs Valparaiso Beacons Prediction, 1/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Belmont Bruins vs Valparaiso Beacons

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Location: Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, IN

TV: ESPN+

Athletics-Recreation Center is the site where the Valparaiso Beacons (10-10) will go up against the Belmont Bruins (18-3) on Wednesday.

The Belmont Bruins faced off with Illinois State and went home with a win by a final score of 80-69 in their last contest. Belmont walked away from the game having earned a 58.0% field goal percentage (29 of 50) and converted 9 of their 16 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Bruins knocked down 13 of their 21 shots for a rate of 61.9%. In terms of pulling down boards, they compiled 23 with 3 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 19 assists in this game as well as creating 13 turnovers and having 7 steals. In reference to defense, Belmont let their opponent shoot 37.9% from the floor on 22 out of 58 shooting. Illinois State distributed 13 assists and had 9 steals for this game. Furthermore, Illinois State collected 35 rebounds (13 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Illinois State finished the game at 85.0% at the free throw line by knocking down 17 of their 20 tries. They also buried 8 of 28 attempts from three-point range. With respect to personal fouls, the Bruins walked away with 16 and Illinois State finished the game with 18 personal fouls.

Eoin Dillon is a player who had an impact for this game. He walked away from this one shooting 75.0% from the field and also recorded 3 assists. He was on the court for 20 mins but had no rebounds when the time ran out. He ended up walking away with 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting.

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Belmont heads into this one with a mark of 18-3 on the year. They are averaging 82.5 points per outing (71st in D-1) while hitting 51.1% from the field. The Bruins are hitting 39.0% on three-point attempts (208 of 534) and 67.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Belmont is snagging 38.0 boards per game and has racked up 373 dimes on the year, which is 20th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 13.2 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.0 personal fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Bruins are forcing their opponents into 13.1 turnovers per game while drawing 17.7 fouls. They are relinquishing 32.5% on 3-point attempts and they rank 86th in college hoops in PPG allowed (69.8). The Bruins defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 38.3% (495 of 1,291) and they surrender 33.9 boards per game as a squad. They are currently ranked 162nd in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 269 relinquished on the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the Valparaiso Beacons walked away with a victory by a final of 69-63 against Southern Illinois. In regard to how they rebounded, Valparaiso permitted Southern Illinois to pull down 32 in all (10 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 21.4% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 3 out of 14 and walked away from this one shooting 18 out of 30 at the free throw line (60.0%). The Beacons permitted Southern Illinois to convert 21 of their 51 tries from the floor which had them shooting 41.2% in this game. When this game wrapped up, the Beacons finished the game shooting 21 for 43 from the field which had them shooting 48.8%. In terms of three-point shots, Valparaiso made 7 of 16 attempts (43.8%). They were able to make 20 of those for a percentage of 66.7%. Southern Illinois committed 24 personal fouls in the game which got the Beacons to the charity stripe for a total of 30 attempts. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while earning 6 steals for the game. The Beacons were able to snag 24 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 in the game.

Justus McNair ended up having an impact for the Beacons for the game. He buried 6 out of 8 for this game for a field goal percentage of 75.0%, and had 1 rebound. He tallied 17 points in his 19 mins of playing time and accumulated 1 assist in this contest.

Valparaiso has a mark of 10-10 this year. The Beacons commit 18.3 personal fouls per game and they go 71.9% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 11.6 times per game (334th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.8 times per contest. Valparaiso has totaled 1,417 pts on the year (70.9 per game) and they grab 37.0 boards per game. As an offense, the Beacons are connecting on 41.0% from the field, which is 338th in the nation.

The Beacons on defense are ranked 80th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 69.7. They are forcing 11.8 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 42.8% from the floor (136th in D-1). The Valparaiso defense allows 30.5% on 3-pointers (123 of 403) and their opposition knocks down 70.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 11.4 dimes and 36.4 rebounds every game, which ranks 42nd and 289th in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Belmont

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