Valparaiso Beacons vs Belmont Bruins Prediction, 1/13/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Valparaiso Beacons vs Belmont Bruins

Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Location: Curb Event Center Arena in Nashville, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Belmont Bruins (15-3) will go up against the Valparaiso Beacons (8-9) at Curb Event Center Arena on Tuesday.

The Valparaiso Beacons faced Murray State and ended up losing by a score of 92-79 in their last contest. Valparaiso ended the contest having earned a 46.6% FG percentage (27 of 58) and knocked down 7 of their 16 3-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Beacons made 18 of their 22 attempts for a rate of 81.8%. Pertaining to rebounding, they earned 31 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 9 assists in this contest as well as creating 11 turnovers and earning 6 steals. With respect to defending, Valparaiso allowed the other team to go 47.7% from the field on 31 of 65 shooting. Murray State earned 16 assists and had 10 steals for the contest. On top of that, Murray State pulled down 32 rebounds (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Murray State walked away from this one shooting 78.3% when shooting free throws by making 18 of their 23 tries. They buried 12 of their 31 attempts from downtown. When discussing personal fouls, the Beacons left the arena with 21 while Murray State finished the game with 18 personal fouls.

Brody Whitaker is a guy who was important for the contest. He finished the contest at 63.6% from the floor and also distributed 2 assists. He played 32 mins and pulled down 2 boards. He left the arena with 19 points on 7 out of 11 shooting.

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Valparaiso comes into this matchup with a mark of 8-9 for the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 11.0 times per game and as a team are committing 18.9 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Valparaiso is grabbing 37.3 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 197 assists on the campaign, which is 329th in the nation in terms of passing. The Beacons are shooting 31.5% on 3-point shots (116 of 368) and 72.9% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 71.8 pts per game (295th in D-1) while shooting 40.9% from the field.

Defensively, the Beacons are forcing 12.2 turnovers every game while drawing 19.5 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 30.9% from beyond the arc and they are 116th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (71.1). The Beacons defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 42.6% (411 of 964) and they surrender 36.9 rebounds per game as a group. They are currently ranked 59th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 193 relinquished so far this year.

When they last played, the Belmont Bruins took home the win by a final score of 78-76 when they played Drake. When it comes to rebounds, Belmont allowed Drake to snag 29 in total (6 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 44.7% from distance by going 17 of 38 and ended up shooting 9 of 14 from the charity stripe (64.3%). The Bruins allowed Drake to convert 25 out of their 57 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 43.9% in this game. Overall, the Bruins shot 24 out of 63 from the field which had them at 38.1%. In terms of shots from beyond the arc, Belmont converted 11 out of their 37 attempts (29.7%). They were able to convert 19 of the free throw tries for a rate of 76.0%. Drake committed 24 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Bruins to the free throw line for a total of 25 attempts. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 14 steals for the contest. The Bruins were able to pull down 25 defensive boards and 14 offensive boards for a total of 39 in this matchup.

Tyler Lundblade was important for the Bruins for the game. He made 3 of 12 for the game for a rate of 25.0%, and added 5 rebounds. He earned 15 points in his 40 mins on the hardwood and had 3 assists for the game.

Belmont has a win-loss record of 15-3 this year. The Bruins are responsible for committing 17.1 fouls per game and they shoot 67.1% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 18.1 times per game (28th in the nation) and they turn it over 13.7 times per contest. Belmont has scored 1,501 pts this year (83.4 per contest) and they collect 38.9 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Bruins are shooting 51.1% from the floor, which ranks 16th in Division 1.

The Belmont defense gives up 32.2% on three-point shots (183 of 568) and their opponents are knocking down 72.5% of their free throw attempts. They give up 12.5 assists and 33.6 boards per game, which ranks them 113th and 128th in those categories. The Bruins are ranked 91st in the country in points allowed per game with 69.7. They are forcing 13.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 38.2% from the field (7th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Belmont

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