A bigtime battle in Horizon League College Basketball tonight when the Green Bay Phoenix take on the Valparaiso Crusaders. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Currently the Betting Odds for the game have the Crusaders favored in this one at home by a couple of possessions.
Both Green Bay and Valpo have collected 20 wins already this season and are tied atop the Horizon League hoops conference with Cleveland State at 9-2. The Phoenix have picked up six wins in their last seven games overall, but the one loss was a beatdown at the hands of Cleveland State. They also picked up a one-point win against these Crusaders of Valpo on their own floor, giving this game a bit of a revenge angle.
Valpo has posted an 11-1 record at home this season, helping them get to 22-4 on the season. The Crusaders shoot the basketball well (47.3 percent) and have no problems scoring points, pouring in an average of 73 per contest. They also rebound the basketball well, which could give them an advantage tonight against Green Bay. In the first matchup Valpo did win the rebounding battle, but came up short but shooting less than 35 percent from the floor.
Green Bay really slowed the second half down in that first game, holding a 19-16 advantage in the final 20 minutes. The Phoenix are going to want to keep this game slow as well, averaging almost six points less per game than Valparaiso. Both teams have pretty solid defenses, making points in transition and quality shooting both even more important tonight.
Keifer Sykes might be the best overall player on the floor, averaging 18 points and four assists per game. In the first matchup Valpo was able to slow him down with Sykes scoring just 11 points, but he did hand out six assists. Valpo is led in scoring by Alec Peters with 17.3 points per game and 6.4 rebounds.
Valpo has some in-season revenge in this one and if they are able to play a faster game, they're going to win. The line is close because both teams are very solid, but Valpo picks up the win at home.
Free Pick: Valpo 68, Green Bay 62
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