Halftime Report
Valparaiso needs a win to get to even, but right now it's anybody's game. They have jumped out to a quick 34-29 lead against S. Illinois.
Valparaiso entered the match with five straight losses and they're well on their way to making it six. Can they turn things around, or will S. Illinois hand them another defeat? Only time will tell.
Who's Playing
S. Illinois Salukis @ Valparaiso Beacons
Current Records: S. Illinois 9-12, Valparaiso 10-11
How To Watch
- When: Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Athletics-Recreation Center -- Valparaiso, Indiana
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $28.00
What to Know
We've got another exciting Missouri Valley matchup on schedule as the S. Illinois Salukis and the Valparaiso Beacons are set to tip at 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Athletics-Recreation Center. Coming in fresh off a win as the underdog, the Salukis will stroll into this one as the favorite.
S. Illinois is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They managed an 89-85 victory over UIC on Saturday. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
S. Illinois relied on the efforts of Ali Dibba, who had 26 points along with two steals, and Kennard Davis Jr., who went 8 for 12 en route to 19 points.
Meanwhile, Valparaiso's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their fifth straight defeat. They fell 78-68 to Evansville. The Beacons didn't live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
Despite their loss, Valparaiso saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Tyler Schmidt, who earned 13 points along with five steals, was perhaps the best of all. Kaspar Sepp was another key player, scoring eight points along with eight rebounds.
Even though they lost, Valparaiso smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Evansville only pulled down four.
S. Illinois is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-12 record this season. As for Valparaiso, they now have a losing record at 10-11.
S. Illinois beat Valparaiso 75-69 in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for S. Illinois since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Odds
S. Illinois is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Valparaiso, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Beacons as a 1.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 149.5 points.
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Series History
S. Illinois has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Valparaiso.
- Jan 24, 2024 - S. Illinois 75 vs. Valparaiso 69
- Jan 10, 2024 - S. Illinois 77 vs. Valparaiso 68
- Feb 14, 2023 - S. Illinois 66 vs. Valparaiso 62
- Jan 30, 2022 - S. Illinois 77 vs. Valparaiso 55
- Jan 08, 2022 - S. Illinois 63 vs. Valparaiso 60
- Feb 22, 2021 - S. Illinois 67 vs. Valparaiso 64
- Feb 21, 2021 - Valparaiso 66 vs. S. Illinois 65
- Feb 12, 2020 - Valparaiso 55 vs. S. Illinois 38
- Jan 07, 2020 - S. Illinois 63 vs. Valparaiso 50
- Feb 20, 2019 - Valparaiso 55 vs. S. Illinois 52