VALPARAISO BEACONS @ SOUTH DAKOTA ST JACKRABBITS

Valpo arrives with a dramatic road win

Valpo came back from 15 down to beat Purdue 83-80 in double overtime, with Rakim Chaney scoring 35 and Justus McNair hitting the game-winning three; that returning quartet accounted for 71 of those points.

Kern gives the Jackrabbits a scoring focal point

Davis Kern scored 24 in South Dakota State's opener at Kansas State and enters at 17.0 points per game.

A rare Brookings meeting with history on the visitors' side

Valparaiso is 1-2 all time in the series; its last trip to South Dakota State ended in a 76-74 loss in 1975, and the most recent meeting was a 61-50 Jackrabbits win in 2022.

Monitor Valpo's frontcourt foul situation

Kai Yu and Carter Hopoi both fouled out of the Purdue game, while JT Pettigrew missed a significant stretch with cramping; no current injury or availability concern is established, but foul trouble could test Valpo's depth.

Pick Ideas

Angles drawn from the matchup analysis above and refreshed as the news changes. They are a separate read from the LineCrush pick for this matchup, so the two can land on different sides.

Valparaiso moneyline only at plus money

Consider Valpo only at +110 or better: ESPN's matchup predictor gives the Beacons a 51.1% win probability (roughly a -104 fair price), and four Valpo returners landed on the MVC preseason watch list; listed odds were unavailable.

Wait for a total before considering the under

A cautious under lean would require a posted total of 150 or higher, but the teams' early-season scoring and defensive samples cover one South Dakota State game and two Valparaiso games; no current total was listed.