Bradley Braves vs Valparaiso Beacons Prediction, 2/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Bradley Braves vs Valparaiso Beacons

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Location: Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, IN

TV: ESPN+

Athletics-Recreation Center is the location where the Valparaiso Beacons (14-13) will meet the Bradley Braves (18-9) on Wednesday.

The Bradley Braves stepped onto the hardwood against Southern Illinois and went home with a win by a final score of 70-60 in their last contest. Bradley finished with a 43.1% FG percentage (28 of 65) and knocked down 9 out of their 27 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Braves converted 5 of 9 shots for a rate of 55.6%. With regard to pulling down boards, they compiled 32 with 6 of them being offensive. They also distributed 11 assists in the game as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 6 steals. With respect to the defense, Bradley allowed the other team to shoot 36.7% from the field on 22 out of 60 shooting. Southern Illinois recorded 8 dimes and had 5 steals for the game. Moreover, Southern Illinois pulled down 35 rebounds (9 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't have a block. Southern Illinois went 84.2% at the charity stripe by burying 16 of their 19 shots. They also made 0 of 15 shots from beyond the arc. In regard to personal fouls, the Braves walked away with 18 and Southern Illinois accumulated 13 personal fouls.

Jaquan Johnson is someone who was a factor for this game. He finished shooting 50.0% from the floor and dished out 3 assists. He was on the court for 31 mins and also grabbed 7 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 24 points on 9 of 18 shooting.

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Bradley comes into this matchup with a record of 18-9 this year. They are losing possession via turnover 9.6 times per game and as a unit are committing 18.3 personal fouls every game. As a team, Bradley is collecting 34.6 rebounds per contest and has 346 dimes for the year, which is 235th in college in terms of passing. The Braves are connecting on 35.9% from downtown (242 of 674) and 73.4% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 77.1 points per outing (154th in Division 1) while going 43.4% from the field.

Defensively, the Braves are forcing 14.2 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.8 fouls. They are giving up 34.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 137th in the country in PPG from their opponents (72.4). The Braves defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 44.5% (673 of 1,512) and they concede 36.8 rebounds per contest as a team. They currently rank 212th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 354 surrendered so far this season.

When they last played, the Valparaiso Beacons went home victorious with a score of 76-75 when they played Indiana State. The Beacons were able to corral 14 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 in the matchup. They also turned it over 7 times, while getting 2 steals for the game. Indiana State had 16 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Beacons to the charity stripe for a total of 21 tries. They were able to make 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 47.6%. In relation to 3-point attempts, Valparaiso knocked down 8 of their 19 attempts (42.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Beacons went 29 for 56 from the floor which had them shooting 51.8%. The Beacons allowed Indiana State to convert 31 out of 57 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 54.4% for the game. They finished 26.7% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 4 of 15 and finished the contest at 9 of 13 from the charity stripe (69.2%). In the matter of how they rebounded, Valparaiso allowed Indiana State to grab 26 overall (8 on the offensive side).

Brody Whitaker ended up being important for the Beacons in this matchup. He converted 8 out of 14 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 57.1%, and totaled 3 rebounds. He scored 21 points in his 30 mins on the court and had 4 assists for this game.

Valparaiso has a mark of 14-13 so far this season. The Beacons have committed 17.8 fouls per contest and they hit 70.3% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 11.3 times per game (341st in college hoops) and they turn the ball over 10.6 times per game. Valparaiso has 1,926 points so far this year (71.3 per game) and they grab 36.9 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Beacons are connecting on 41.9% from the field, which has them ranked 325th in the country.

The Valparaiso defense concedes 31.3% on shots from beyond the arc (177 of 566) and their opponents are connecting on 70.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 11.9 dimes and 35.4 rebounds per game, which is ranked 61st and 239th in college hoops. The Beacons are ranked 102nd in college hoops in points allowed per game with 71.0. They are forcing 11.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.1% from the field (192nd in Division 1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Valparaiso and under the total points

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