Valparaiso Beacons vs Evansville Purple Aces Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Valparaiso Beacons vs Evansville Purple Aces

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Ford Center in Evansville, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Valparaiso Beacons (17-13) are hitting the road to Ford Center on Saturday where they will meet the Evansville Purple Aces (6-23).

The Valparaiso Beacons took the court against Drake and took home the win by a score of 74-71 in their last contest. In the matter of fouls, the Beacons left the arena with 12 while Drake finished the game with 16 fouls. They also made 8 of 22 attempts from three-point range. Drake finished shooting 69.2% from the charity stripe by making 9 of 13 shots. Moreover, Drake grabbed 25 rebounds (5 offensive, 20 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Drake dished out 14 dimes and had 4 steals for the contest. With respect to defense, Valparaiso allowed their opponent to shoot 48.2% from the field on 27 of 56 shooting. They also distributed 14 assists in the matchup while creating 9 turnovers and getting 3 steals. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they collected 26 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. From the charity stripe, the Beacons knocked down 14 of their 17 tries for a rate of 82.4%. Valparaiso ended the contest having earned a 44.4% FG percentage (24 of 54) and converted 12 of their 28 three-point shots.

Brody Whitaker is one player who came through for this game. He finished the contest at 75.0% from the floor and also distributed 3 assists. He was on the court for 29 minutes and also grabbed 1 board. He racked up 17 points on 6 out of 8 shooting.

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Valparaiso heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 17-13 for the season. They are averaging 71.7 points per contest (282nd in Division 1) while hitting 42.2% from the field. The Beacons are connecting on 33.7% on three-point shots (215 of 638) and 70.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Valparaiso is pulling down 36.3 boards per game and has accumulated 352 dimes for the year, which is 294th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 10.5 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.6 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Beacons are forcing 11.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.0 fouls. They are conceding 32.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 97th in college in opponents PPG (70.9). The Beacons defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 44.4% (755 of 1,702) and they surrender 35.0 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are 102nd in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 357 conceded on the campaign.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Evansville Purple Aces walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 98-64 against Belmont. In reference to attacking the glass, Evansville permitted Belmont to collect 32 in all (5 on the offensive side). They shot 56.8% from 3-point land by going 21 of 37 and finished the game at 7 out of 9 at the free throw line (77.8%). The Purple Aces allowed Belmont to convert 35 of their 61 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 57.4% in this contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Purple Aces finished the game shooting 26 out of 57 from the field which had them shooting 45.6%. When it comes to shooting from downtown, Evansville converted 6 of 26 attempts (23.1%). They were able to knock down 6 of those for a rate of 60.0%. Belmont had 13 fouls for the game which took the Purple Aces to the free throw line for 10 tries. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while getting 3 steals in this contest. The Purple Aces recorded 18 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds totaling 22 in the matchup.

AJ Casey pitched in for the Purple Aces for the contest. He earned 21 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and added 5 assists in the matchup. He converted 10 of 16 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 62.5%, and had 7 rebounds.

Evansville has a win-loss mark of 6-23 so far this year. As an offense, the Purple Aces are hitting on 42.8% from the field, which ranks 309th in college. Evansville has accounted for 1,937 pts for the year (66.8 per game) and they pull in 31.3 rebounds per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 13.0 times per game (250th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.1 times per game. The Purple Aces commit 15.7 fouls every game while shooting 71.5% from the charity stripe.

The Evansville defense gives up 37.3% on shots from 3-point land (273 of 732) and their opponents are knocking down 73.6% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 15.4 dimes and 35.9 boards every game, which is ranked 309th and 277th in D-1. The Purple Aces are ranked 250th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 76.5. They are forcing 11.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 46.1% from the floor (290th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Valparaiso

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