The Detroit Titans have a 4-2 spread record in their last six
‘board’ games, allowing 67.2 PPG en route to the ‘under’ also going 4-2.
Ray McCallum’s crew starts the month of January with Friday’s Horizon League matchup
against the Valparaiso Crusaders, who travel to Calihan Hall on a 0-6 ATS
slide. Sportsbooks opened Detroit as a six-point home favorite, with early
action on Valparaiso driving the number south to 5 ½.
NCAA basketball odds makers first set the total at 151, remaining
unchanged after initial wagers were mixed.
Titans pull away in Chi-town
Detroit’s latest victory came in Saturday’s 65-54 win as a
five-point road favorite against the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers. The Titans
held their foes to 37.5 percent field shooting, while sinking 18-of-21 free
throws.
Titans guard Chase Simon notched a team-high 17 points, while
adding four rebounds. Simon’s mate Ray McCallum, Jr. led his squad with
seven assists and five boards, finishing with 13 points.
The contest’s combined 119 points ducked ‘under’ the ‘total’ of
126. Detroit’s Eli Holman hit 5-of-7 field buckets off the bench, logging
12 points and six boards.
Valpo matches season-high scoring
Valparaiso ended a two-game losing streak with Saturday’s 90-87
win as a six-point home favorite against the Green Bay Phoenix. The
Crusaders drained 10-of-21 from three-point land, while edging out Green Bay in
rebounds, 23-21.
Crusaders guard Ryan Broekhoff grabbed seven boards, while
recording five steals en route to 15 points. Broekhoff’s bench mate Matt
Kenney piled in a team-high 21 points, hitting 8-of-13 field buckets in 30
minutes of play.
The high-octane affair’s combined 177 points flew above the
‘total’ of 133, bringing the ‘over’ to 2-1 in the Crusaders’ last three
games. Valparaiso allowed 59.2 percent field shooting, while both squads
united for 28 turnovers.
Back the Crusaders as road dogs
Friday night’s matchup is scheduled for 8 p.m. (ET), with ESPN3.com
slated to provide televised coverage.
This NCAA basketball handicapper is backing Valparaiso, taking the points in
agreement with the betting’s early ‘steam.’ The Crusaders were overvalued
favorites in their present betting-window skid, but are now back to a spot with
some sizable value as road dogs.
Valpo is 4-1 ATS away from home as an underdog, including a trio
of straight-up wins in that span. The most recent cashed ticket came Dec.
3 in a 77-71 overtime win as a 5 ½-point dog against the Butler Bulldogs, with
the Crusaders holding Butler to 34.3 percent shooting from the floor.
Broekhoff is the Horizon League’s top rebounder (9.2 RPG) for
Valparaiso, while mate Kevin Van Wijk leads the conference in shooting (63.9
percent).
The Crusaders have put up 74.7 PPG, edging out Detroit (73 PPG) for
the group’s top spot thanks to sinking three-point shots at a clip of 31.8
percent. Detroit is ranked last from beyond the arc, draining a meager
26.9 percent.
Valpo has been undervalued in recent years, cashing at 4-0-1 ATS
in the team’s last five road games against the Titans. Detroit is 2-3 ATS
in its first five ‘board’ home games, giving up a sizable 80.5 PPG in the most
recent two duels of that stretch.
The Crusaders came away with an 88-78 in its most recent clash
with Detroit last March, finding the rims at a 48.4 percent clip from the
field. Broekhoff sank 3-of-6 from three-point land, while grabbing a
team-high nine boards.
In your Firday NCAA basketball picks, look for Valpo to cash
another road ticket against the Titans in this spot, extending its 3-0 ATS
streak from the trio of matchups between the foes last year.