The No.1-seeded Valparaiso Crusaders (29-6) and No.2-seeded BYU Cougars (26-10) meet in the fourth round of the NIT tournament at Madison Square Garden. The game begins at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 29 and will air on ESP and ES3.
The Crusaders played well in their last game, defeating Saint Mary’s 60-44 in the 3. Alec Peters led all scorers with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Cougars, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-82 win against Creighton in the 3. Zac Seljaas led the team in scoring by accumulating 19 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
Peters has really been playing well over the last five games for the Crusaders. During that stretch, he has averaged 26.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 2.6 three-pointers.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Valparaiso ranks first in the nation, allowing just 90.9 points per 100 possessions, while BYU is eighth (99.2). Also, the Cougars commit the third-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 15.7%), while the gambling defense of the Crusaders causes the eighth-most (opponents’ TO% of 18.9%).
The Crusaders come into this game 29-6 Straight Up (SU) and 17-16 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their past 10 games, the Valparaiso offense has been playing lights out, averaging 84.4 points per game, well over their season average of 75.7. Valparaiso’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 70.0 during that span, compared to its 62.2 season average.
Over on the other bench, the Cougars head into the game with records of 16-14-4 ATS and 26-10 SU. During the last 10 games, they averaged 76.8 PPG, below their 84.0 PPG season average. The Cougars rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 22nd-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.45. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Cougars have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .415.
This game will be the first meeting for Valparaiso and BYU in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – BYU, ATS Winner – BYU
Notes
The BYU Cougars are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 84.0 points per game (ranked fifth). The Valparaiso Crusaders are among the top 25 in the country in points allowed with 62.2 (ranked ninth).
Ranked eighth, the BYU Cougars have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 99.2 points per 100 possessions. The Valparaiso Crusaders rank 62nd in offense, scoring 111.1 points in the same number of possessions.
BYU beats Valparaiso in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Cougars average 73.5 possessions and 1.142 points per possession, while the Crusaders average 68.1 possessions with 1.111 points per possession.
The Valparaiso Crusaders average an effective field goal percentage of 51.2% this season. The BYU Cougars are 9-7 when opponents have an eFG% of 51.2% or greater.
On average, Valparaiso attempts 22.0 three pointers and BYU attempts 23.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Valparaiso Crusaders sit at 19-6 and the BYU Cougars are 21-9.
The 22nd-ranked team in the category, BYU has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.45 this season. Valparaiso ranks lower at 138th with an A/TO of 1.11.
Valparaiso and BYU are two of the top rebounding teams in the country. Valparaiso is ranked fifth with 41.7 rebounds per game, and BYU ranks 13th with 40.8.
The BYU Cougars rank 90th in offensive rebounds, and the Valparaiso Crusaders rank 11th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
Though Valparaiso is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 18.9% (ranked eighth), BYU has a stellar 6-2 record SU when its TO% is 18.9% or greater.
