Drake Bulldogs vs Valparaiso Beacons Prediction, 2/25/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Drake Bulldogs vs Valparaiso Beacons

Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Location: Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Valparaiso Beacons (16-13) will try to defeat the Drake Bulldogs (12-17) at Athletics-Recreation Center on Wednesday.

The Drake Bulldogs stepped onto the hardwood against Southern Illinois and went home with a loss by a final score of 66-61 in their last game. Drake finished the game having earned a 40.0% FG percentage (24 of 60) and converted 7 out of their 25 3-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Bulldogs knocked down 6 of 13 shots for a percentage of 46.2%. Regarding pulling down rebounds, they earned 36 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 10 assists for the contest while creating 11 turnovers and earning 5 steals. Concerning the defense, Drake allowed 34.8% from the field on 23 of 66 shooting. Southern Illinois distributed 14 dimes and had 10 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Southern Illinois snagged 41 rebounds (13 offensive, 28 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Southern Illinois finished the contest at 58.8% at the free throw line by knocking down 10 of their 17 attempts. They knocked down 10 out of their 26 attempts from three-point range. In regard to fouls, the Bulldogs walked away with 16 and Southern Illinois accounted for 13 fouls.

Jalen Quinn is one player who was a major contributor for the game. He shot 42.9% from the field and also recorded 1 assist. He was on the court for 38 minutes played and totaled 10 boards. He accounted for 23 points on 9 of 21 shooting.

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Drake enters this game with a record of 12-17 on the campaign. They are giving up possession 10.1 times per contest and as a unit they commit 17.2 fouls every game. As a unit, Drake is snagging 35.8 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 390 dimes this year, which has them ranked 179th in the nation in terms of passing. The Bulldogs are hitting 34.8% on shots from 3-point land (267 of 767) and 71.4% from the charity stripe. They average 76.2 pts per game (172nd in Division 1) while hitting 44.5% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bulldogs are forcing 10.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.4 personal fouls. They are giving up 36.6% on three-point shots and they rank 225th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (75.2). The Bulldogs are allowing a field goal percentage of 43.9% (762 of 1,734) and they relinquish 36.5 boards per contest as a squad. They are ranked 305th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 419 conceded so far this year.

For their last game, the Valparaiso Beacons got the victory with a final of 71-67 when they played UIC. In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Valparaiso allowed UIC to collect 32 in total (10 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 23.5% from downtown by hitting 4 of 17 and ended up shooting 11 out of 18 from the charity stripe (61.1%). The Beacons permitted UIC to knock down 26 out of their 56 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 46.4% in this contest. Overall, the Beacons finished shooting 22 for 56 from the floor which gave them a rate of 39.3%. In relation to 3-pointers, Valparaiso made 8 of 21 attempts (38.1%). They were able to make 19 of those for a percentage of 76.0%. UIC had 18 fouls in the game which took the Beacons to the free throw line for a total of 25 tries. They also gave up possession 8 times, while recording 6 steals in this game. The Beacons earned 20 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 32 for the matchup.

Sader Servilus ended up having an impact for the Beacons in this game. He earned 13 points in his 15 mins on the court and totaled 2 assists for the game. He converted 4 out of 4 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 100.0%, and had 5 rebounds.

Valparaiso has a win-loss record of 16-13 for the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Beacons are connecting on 42.1% from the floor, which is ranked 323rd in the country. Valparaiso has earned 2,076 points for the year (71.6 per game) and they pull down 36.6 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 11.7 times per contest (329th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.5 times per contest. The Beacons are committing 17.8 fouls every game and they connect on 70.0% from the free throw line.

The Valparaiso defense concedes 31.8% on shots from distance (193 of 607) and their opposition knocks down 70.1% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 11.8 dimes and 35.1 boards per game, which ranks them 59th and 229th in college hoops. The Beacons on defense are ranked 98th in Division 1 in PPG given up with 70.9. They have forced 11.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.2% from the floor (185th in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Drake

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