The Detroit Titans (15-12), who have the top scoring defense in the Horizon, will match up with the Valparaiso Crusaders (23-5) at Athletics-Recreation Center. The game starts at 2:30 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 21 and will air on ES3.
The Crusaders come into this game on a high note after just getting past Oakland 86-84 on Friday. Alec Peters fueled the Crusaders, recording 16 points and 14 rebounds to notch his 10th double-double this season. The Titans, meanwhile, are coming off an 83-72 win against UIC on Friday. Paris Bass played well, recording 22 points and 11 rebounds to claim his sixth double-double of the season.
Bass has been on fire over the last five games for the Titans, averaging 22.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Crusaders winning the first matchup 92-74. Peters put up a double-double in the victory with 39 points and 14 rebounds.
The Crusaders are looking to build on their records of 23-5 Straight Up (SU) and 14-12 Against The Spread (ATS). The most recent ten-game stretch for the Crusaders has gone great. Over that span, Valparaiso is averaging 83.3 points per game, well over their season average of 74.8. The Crusaders will be looking to turn around their defense after struggling a bit recently. The Crusaders have given up an average of 80.4 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 59.8 PPG. An area where the Crusaders are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 29.2 per game, 10th in Division I. Expect Valparaiso to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Titans, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the nation with an average of 23.1 fouls per game.
Across the court, the Titans have 15-12 SU and 14-11 ATS records. The Titans will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their most recent 10 games, their scoring has dropped to 75.1 PPG, compared to 74.8 for the duration of the season. Detroit is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the nation, hitting 18.0 shots from the line per game. The Detroit defense has allowed an average of 59.9 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 81.8.
In their previous meeting this season, Valparaiso beat Detroit, moving its SU record against Detroit to 6-4 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers, neither team was able to hold the advantage in all three of these categories over their past five meetings against one another.
Predictions: SU Winner – Valpo, ATS Winner – Valpo
Notes
Detroit averages 83.7 points per game (ranked eighth). Ranked third, Valparaiso has allowed an average of just 59.8 points per game.
Ranked 76th, the Valparaiso Crusaders have an offensive rating of 110.4. The Detroit Titans rank 295th with a defensive rating of just 108.8.
With 67.7 possessions and 1.104 points per possession, the Valparaiso Crusaders perform worse on both metrics than the Detroit Titans. Detroit averages 75.2 possessions and 1.114 points per possession.
The Detroit Titans average an effective field goal percentage of 53.0% this season. The Valparaiso Crusaders have a losing record of 1-4 when opponents have an eFG% of 53.0% or greater.
Valparaiso attempts an average of 21.0 three pointers per game and Detroit attempts 21.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Valparaiso Crusaders have a superb 15-5 record while the Detroit Titans have a 7-8 record.
Valparaiso, the eighth-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 41.9 rebounds per game. Detroit ranks 84th with 38.2.
The Detroit Titans rank 98th in offensive rebounds, and the Valparaiso Crusaders rank 10th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, Valparaiso forces a turnover rate of 20.0%. When Detroit turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 6-3 record.
