Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Valparaiso Beacons Prediction, 11/2/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Valparaiso Beacons

Date: Monday, November 2, 2026

Location: Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, IN

TV: ESPN+

Athletics-Recreation Center is the site where the Valparaiso Beacons (18-15 last year) will play the Western Illinois Leathernecks (5-26 last season) on Monday.

The Western Illinois Leathernecks took the court against Lindenwood and ended up losing by a score of 91-69 in their last contest. Regarding fouls, the Leathernecks ended up finishing with 15 and Lindenwood had 16 fouls. They made 8 of 20 shots from three-point range. Lindenwood shot 60.0% from the charity stripe by converting 9 of their 15 shots. Moreover, Lindenwood snagged 41 rebounds (14 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Lindenwood distributed 18 assists and had 7 steals in this contest. In the matter of defense, Western Illinois allowed the other team to shoot 51.4% from the floor on 37 out of 72 shooting. They also dished out 12 assists for this game while creating 6 turnovers and having 3 steals. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they earned 29 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Leathernecks buried 14 of 21 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. Western Illinois wrapped up the game having earned a 41.1% field goal percentage (23 out of 56) and buried 9 out of their 26 three-point attempts.

Danny Stephens is a guy who had an impact for the contest. He recorded 18 points on 5 out of 8 shooting. He played for 27 mins played and pulled down 4 boards. He finished the game shooting 62.5% from the floor and also earned 2 assists.

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Western Illinois will play this contest after finishing with a win-loss mark of 5-26 last year. They had an average of 64.9 points per contest (355th in the nation) while shooting 40.3% from the floor. The Leathernecks shot 31.4% on shots from downtown (182 of 580) and 66.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Western Illinois pulled down 31.9 boards per game and totaled 261 assists last year, which ranked 365th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They lost possession by turning the ball over 11.8 times per game and as a team committed 16.1 fouls per game.

When they were on defense, the Leathernecks were able to force 10.4 turnovers per game while drawing 17.0 fouls. They were ranked 164th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 434 surrendered last year. The Leathernecks allowed an opponent shooting percentage of 47.4% (864 of 1,822) and they surrendered 36.4 rebounds per contest as a squad. They surrendered 35.3% on 3-point attempts and they were 261st in college hoops in opponents PPG (76.8).

In their last game, the Valparaiso Beacons took a defeat with a final score of 90-84 when they played Bradley. Concerning team rebounding, Valparaiso allowed Bradley to get 33 in all (7 on the offensive glass). They shot 20.0% from distance by going 4 out of 20 and finished the game at 26 out of 34 at the free throw line (76.5%). The Beacons permitted Bradley to make 30 of 71 tries from the field which had them at 42.3% for the game. When the game finished, the Beacons shot 28 out of 67 from the field which gave them a percentage of 41.8%. When discussing 3-point attempts, Valparaiso converted 8 out of their 23 attempts (34.8%). They were able to convert 20 of the free throws for a rate of 71.4%. Bradley was called for 21 fouls in the game which got the Beacons to the charity stripe for 28 tries. They also gave up possession 18 times, while getting 8 steals for the contest. The Beacons were able to snag 29 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 in the game.

Brody Whitaker was important for the Beacons for the game. He made 9 out of 15 in the matchup giving him a rate of 60.0%, and accumulated 5 rebounds. He earned 25 points in his 47 mins on the court and added 3 dimes for the game.

Valparaiso had a win-loss mark of 18-15 last year. The Beacons committed 17.8 personal fouls every game and they shot 70.7% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists was at 12.1 times per contest (310th in the country) and they coughed up possession 10.5 times per contest. Valparaiso accumulated 2,376 points last season (72.0 per contest) and they collected 36.2 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Beacons hit 42.0% from the field, which was ranked 325th in college.

The Beacons on defense were ranked 110th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 71.5. They forced 11.6 turnovers per game and allowed teams to shoot 44.4% from the floor (194th in D-1). The Valparaiso defense allowed 32.0% on 3-pointers (221 of 690) and their opponents converted on 71.3% of their free throw attempts. They surrendered 11.0 assists and 35.0 total boards per game, which had them ranked 91st and 224th in the nation.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Western Illinois

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