Beacons Aim to Break Murray’s Fortress in High-Stakes Valley Showdown
Valpo seeks revenge and momentum against a Racers squad riding a 10-game win streak and perfect home record
The Valparaiso Beacons head south for a pivotal Missouri Valley Conference matchup against the Murray State Racers, a team riding one of the hottest streaks in college basketball. This marks the second meeting between the two programs this season. Murray State claimed the first contest at the ARC on December 21, edging Valpo 85-79 in a game the Beacons largely controlled before faltering late.
In that December showdown, Valpo’s Owen Dease led all scorers with 25 points, while Rakim Chaney added 13 and Shon Tupuola chipped in 11. For Murray State, Roman Domon came off the bench to score 20 points, fueled by an 11-for-14 performance at the free-throw line. Fred King contributed 19 points, and Javon Jackson added 18.
The Racers enter Friday’s game with a 14-3 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in Valley play, good for first place in the standings. They’ve won 10 straight games—the ninth-longest active streak in the nation—and remain unbeaten at home this season. Their most recent victory came against Evansville, further cementing their dominance.
Statistically, Murray State boasts the league’s top scoring offense and leads in free throw percentage and three-point field goals made. They also rank among the top five in nearly every offensive category, including rebounding and assists. However, their defense tells a different story: the Racers sit last in the Valley in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to score over 76 points per game on 44% shooting. They also struggle with turnovers and steals, though they limit damage from beyond the arc better than any team in the nation.
Javon Jackson continues to lead the Racers at 16.8 points per game, ranking third in the conference, while King anchors the paint with 12.8 points per game on 65% shooting and a league-best 8.3 rebounds. Domon adds 12.4 points per game, and Mason Miller provides perimeter punch, ranking fourth in the Valley in three-pointers made and second in three-point percentage at 46.1%. Valpo, meanwhile, is trending upward after snapping a five-game skid with wins over UIC and preseason favorite Illinois State. The Beacons boast a stronger defensive profile and have shown flashes of offensive efficiency in recent outings. The Beacons have a number of players making strides with Owen Dease and JT Pettigrew playing their best basketball of the season recently.
KenPom projects an 82-71 Murray State win, giving Valpo just a 16% chance to pull off the upset. Still, the Beacons have reason for optimism. They’ve beaten and been competitive with top Valley teams this year, and if Dease, Chaney, McNair, and Pettigrew can deliver offensively—alongside other contributions from the bench—Valpo could be poised to end the Racers streak.
Valpo is in the middle of a tough Valley stretch with 7 of their 10 games coming against the conference’s top four teams. Saturdays contest will test whether their recent momentum can translate into a statement win against the league leader on the road. Let's go Beacons.
Hello to all of you. Just checking in to let you know I am still breathing and have largely held to my March promise of being totally done with my lifelong D1 fan
interest due to our semi pro system. Yes! I have watched 0 minutes of power conference basketball and I have so much more time for real life activities. 
BUT, because I still subscribe to Paul's commentary and failed to cancel my ESPN subscription I am starting to weaken by watching portions of a few games and might even show up at the ARC this season just for old time sake. Truth be known it might be easier to shake a heroin or crack addiction than to suffer the withdrawal symptoms associated with the total winter absence of VU basketball.
This bunch of players could be so good if they could be kept around! 
@justducky May I introduce you to the Men’s Basketball Excellence Fund? 
For real though, welcome back!
In the Net Rankings, a win over Murray State would be a Quad 1 win. Highly unlikely, but I can dream!
Murray State has had it pretty light in conference play, barely beat Southern, Valpo was leading them at half right? UIC was within 4 and VU beat them by 7.
100% sure they have talked about the ISUR game, so they wont come out assuming VU is taking a knee. VU on the other hand just had a confidence builder beating a team they werent supposed to be beat or even play with.
I dont like Murray State for other reasons, Beacons win late in a tight game!
@mwsportsfan your right, Murray’s schedule has been bottom heavy to start Valley play, much like Valpo has been top heavy. Valpo can absolutely win this game if it plays to its potential. @tjjvalpo while I believe it’s unlikely I only believe it’s slightly unlikely, but still definitely possible. I believe in our guys.
Down 9 at the half. But Valpo is playing well overall. Decent defense and disciplined shooting. Our big scorers have been limited and Murray hits 3s like no ones business. Murray looks much more of a talented and polished team than Illinois St did. This team is the real deal. If we can get our scorers involved it could be a 2 possession game where we can put ourselves in a position to win.
Difficult matchup. Very even stats. Didn’t contest the three point shots enough or stop dribble drive penetration in particular #22. I’m predicting a win at Belmont
Got close but once we started trading FTs for possessions it was all over.
Valpo was down 11 with less than 30 seconds left in the game. We were not fouling and expected that Murray would dribble the ball out and win the game. Except that Jackson drove to the basket and made a layup.
Thats bad sportsmanship at the very least. BUT, it just so happened that basketball allowed Murray State to cover the spread (they were favored by 11.5 points)
The MVC needs to open an investigation to make sure that point shaving isn’t going on. Because it sure looks that way
I chalk it up to just bad sportsmanship. When you are up by more than 2 scores with a few seconds left everybody at all levels just lets the clock run out. Nobody does crap like that, from 10U park district teams all the way to the pros.
I don’t know but the refs didn’t seem to do us any favors in this one.
That may be true but questionable calls were only a minor reason for the loss. We were outplayed in most aspects of the game.I don’t know but the refs didn’t seem to do us any favors in this one.
Valpo fought hard but couldn’t close the gap late against Murray State. After staying within striking distance most of the game, the Beacons unraveled in the final minutes. Javon Jackson capitalized at the line, hitting what felt like eight free throws on four straight possessions that put the game out of reach. Valpo’s defensive discipline faltered as quick whistles from officials led to repeated fouls.
Up to that point, Valpo executed well enough to keep the contest competitive. However, questions remain about Isaiah Barnes’ role—after starting much of the season, he’s averaged just 5.5 minutes and five total points over the last four games. On the bright side, Brody Whitaker’s 19 points on improved shooting were encouraging, and if he can maintain that consistency, it could elevate the team’s ceiling. Shon also deserves credit for his defensive effort, taking on the Fred King assignment.
Coach’s recent adjustments appear to be paying off offensively, as Valpo has shot better over the last three games. Against the Valley’s hottest team, the Beacons leaned on a shorter rotation: seven players logged double-digit minutes, with three exceeding 30. Despite the loss, there’s optimism. The Valley standings are tight from sixth to ninth, and Valpo is navigating its toughest stretch yet. Escaping the bottom tier and finishing mid-pack would mark a significant step forward for the program. For some context Valpo came into the year rated at 284, they currently sit at 180, this is a 104-spot improvement from the beginning of the year. I believe this is the best KenPom improvement in the Valley so far this season, at this point I would be surprised if the improvement doesn’t continue. I’ll try and get the Belmont thread and game preview out today.
Were there some questionable calls in key moments? Absolutely, but, Murray is just a really good team. Plain and simple.
