Two Missouri Valley Conference rivals face off against one another on Wednesday when the Valparaiso Beacons (10-15, 4-10 MVC) visit Terre Haute, Indiana and the Hulman Center to play against the Indiana State Sycamores (16-9, 9-5 MVC). Valparaiso lost to Drake 85-82 in double-overtime on Saturday for their second consecutive loss to bring them to the third-worst conference record. Indiana State defeated Murray State 99-56 on Saturday for their third consecutive victory but remained fifth in the MVC by one game below the four-way tie for first. Valparaiso is going to be without sophomore guard Preston Rudinger as he is sidelined for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury while Indiana State is fully healthy.
Valparaiso is within one game of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference thanks to excellent defense as the Beacons are holding opponents to an average of 73.5 points (259th) per game. Opponents are shooting 44.8% (229th) overall and 34.1% (191st) from 3-point territory. Valparaiso’s offense has struggled at times as the Beacons are scoring an average of only 68.3 points (233rd) per game, while shooting 43.4% (220th) overall and 29.4% (344th) from three point land. Ben Krikke is the leading scorer for Valparaiso with an average of 18.5 points per game while shooting only 53.5% overall, but 24.5% from three point land. Kobe King is the second leading scorer with an average of 16.5 points per game while shooting only 41.9% overall and 20.8% from three point land. The next four scorers for Valparaiso are shooting 43% or less. Nick Edwards is the leader in assists with an average of 5.2 dishes per con test. On the boards, Valparaiso averages 34.4 rebounds per game led by Krikke with an average of six boards per game. Edwards is the leader in steals with an average of 1.7 per game and Krikke is leading the program with 0.7 blocks per game.
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