Valparaiso Beacons vs Murray State Racers Prediction, 1/10/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Valparaiso Beacons vs Murray State Racers

Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026

Location: CFSB Center in Murray, KY

TV: ESPN+

The Valparaiso Beacons (8-8) are hitting the road to CFSB Center on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Murray State Racers (14-3).

The Valparaiso Beacons played Illinois State and walked away with a win by a score of 77-71 in their last contest. Valparaiso wrapped up the game with a 51.2% FG percentage (21 out of 41) and knocked down 9 of 12 3-pointers. At the free throw line, the Beacons made 26 of 35 shots for a percentage of 74.3%. Regarding rebounding, they earned 27 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 12 assists for this game while creating 8 turnovers and getting 6 steals. Concerning defending, Valparaiso allowed the other team to go 41.9% from the floor on 26 of 62 shooting. Illinois State distributed 8 dimes and had 5 steals for the contest. Moreover, Illinois State grabbed 33 boards (14 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't have a block. Illinois State ended up going 60.9% at the charity stripe by burying 14 of 23 shots. They converted 5 of their 16 shots from distance. Regarding fouls, the Beacons finished with 23 and Illinois State finished the game with 26 fouls.

Owen Dease is one guy who was a major factor for the contest. He went 57.1% from the floor and also totaled 2 dimes. He was on the court for 35 minutes and grabbed 6 boards. He ended up scoring 28 points on 8 out of 14 shooting.

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Valparaiso steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 8-8 this season. They have an average of 71.3 pts per contest (298th in college hoops) on 40.5% from the floor. The Beacons are connecting on 31.0% on three-point attempts (109 of 352) and 72.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Valparaiso is snagging 37.4 boards per contest and has accounted for 188 dimes for the season, which ranks 311th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.7 times per game and as a squad are committing 18.8 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Beacons are able to force 12.3 turnovers every game while drawing 19.6 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 30.2% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 97th in college in points per game allowed (69.8). The Beacons defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.3% (380 of 899) and they surrender 37.0 boards per game as a unit. They currently rank 63rd in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 177 surrendered on the year.

The last time they took the court, the Murray State Racers went home victorious with a score of 79-69 when they played Evansville. In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Murray State allowed Evansville to grab 27 in total (5 on the offensive glass). They finished 8.3% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 1 of 12 and ended up shooting 14 out of 19 at the free throw line (73.7%). The Racers permitted Evansville to bury 27 out of 53 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 50.9% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Racers ended up going 27 for 59 from the floor which had them sitting at 45.8%. Pertaining to shots from distance, Murray State knocked down 7 of their 25 attempts (28.0%). They were able to knock down 18 of them for a rate of 66.7%. Evansville was called for 19 personal fouls for this contest which took the Racers to the free throw line for a total of 27 shots. They gave up possession 8 times, while recording 4 steals in the matchup. The Racers were able to collect 25 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 34 for this game.

Javon Jackson ended up being a major contributor for the Racers in this game. He converted 8 out of 16 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and totaled 3 rebounds. He earned 22 points in his 26 mins on the court and had 2 dimes in this game.

Murray State has a win-loss mark of 14-3 for the campaign. The Racers are committing 18.6 fouls every game and they hit 76.3% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 15.7 times per game (106th in the country) and they are giving up possession 12.2 times per game. Murray State has scored 1,491 points for the campaign (87.7 per contest) and they pull in 38.5 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Racers are connecting on 47.8% from the floor, which has them ranked 72nd in the nation.

The Murray State defense surrenders 31.9% on 3-point shots (84 of 263) and their opponents are making 74.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 11.8 dimes and 34.9 boards per contest, which is ranked 62nd and 204th in D-1. The Racers defensively are ranked 268th in D-1 in PPG given up with 76.9. They are able to force 12.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.4% from the floor (238th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Valparaiso

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