Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils vs Washington Huskies Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Mississippi Valley State lost at Oklahoma in its opener and now gets 32.5 points in Seattle. Washington won its only game by 14, and Tymias Williams gives the Delta Devils one player who can keep a blowout from becoming a rout.

The Matchup

Mississippi Valley State visits Washington on Monday night at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, on BTN, with Washington a 32.5-point favorite, a total of 152.5, and the moneyline off the board on both sides. Washington is 1-0. Mississippi Valley State is 0-1 and plays its second straight road game against a power-conference opponent.

Mississippi Valley State lost 84-57 at Oklahoma on Saturday in its only game so far. Tymias Williams was the bright spot, leading the Delta Devils at 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds a game, and Eli Pippins leads the team at 2.0 assists a game. That assists number is the honest summary of this team: Williams creates his own offense, and there is very little creation behind him.

Washington beat Colgate 90-76 at home in its only game. Nikola Dzepina scored 27 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in that win, and Ryan Beasley led the Huskies at 4.0 assists a game. Dzepina's debut was the best individual performance by anybody in this matchup, and Washington will run its offense through him again.

Last season explains both the size of this spread and its risk. Mississippi Valley State went 3-30, scored 64.2 points a game, and allowed 83.0, one of the hardest seasons in the country. Washington went 16-17, scored 77.1 points a game, and allowed 73.6, a team that finished below .500 and outscored its opponents by only a few points a night.

The Huskies were not a margin team last season, and their one game this season was a 14-point home win over Colgate in which they allowed 76. A 32.5-point spread asks Washington to be something it has not been yet: ruthless for a full game against a team it will lead comfortably from early on.

Key Factors

Williams is the whole case for the points, and he is a real one. A forward who gives you 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds a game can manufacture enough offense on his own to keep a final margin in the twenties, which is all this pick needs. Mississippi Valley State scored 57 at Oklahoma, and if Williams gets a similar return in Seattle while the Delta Devils slow the game down, Washington has to work for every point of separation.

Washington's own profile helps the underdog more than the ranking of this matchup suggests. The Huskies allowed 76 points to Colgate, they allowed 73.6 a game last season, and big home favorites with a comfortable lead tend to trade baskets late, which is exactly how a 32.5-point spread gets beaten by a team that loses by 25. Neither team has a player listed out for this game in the ESPN injury report.

The honest counterpoint is that Mississippi Valley State might simply not score enough for any of this to matter. The Delta Devils won three games last season, they managed 57 points at Oklahoma, and Pippins at 2.0 assists a game means their offense has no second organizer when Williams sits or gets doubled.

If Dzepina repeats anything close to his 27-point debut and Washington's bench keeps the pressure on, the Huskies can clear this number by the middle of the second half. The bet is that a Washington team that was below .500 last season and won its opener by 14 does not suddenly produce the biggest margin of its young season on a Monday night.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.