Saturday, December 17, 2016

State Farm Center

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The BYU Cougars travel to State Farm Center to play the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday, December 17, 2016.

The Cougars come into this game with an overall record of 7-3. They are 4-4 against the spread and their over/under record is 2-6. The Fighting Illini have an overall record of 8-3 and a home record of 7-1. They have an over/under record of 3-6 and they are 3-5 against the spread.

Eric Mika comes into this contest averaging 21 points per game while playing 25.4 minutes per night so far this season for the Cougars. He pulls down 8.5 rebounds per game and dishes out 2 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 56% while his free throw percentage is currently at 78%. Nick Emery averages 16 points per game in 31.6 minutes per contest this season. He averages 3.3 assists per contest and 3.9 rebounds per game for BYU. His field goal percentage is 40% for the year while his free throw percentage is 92%.

Malcolm Hill averages 18.9 points per game while playing 32.2 minutes per contest this year for the Fighting Illini. He grabs 6.5 rebounds per game and has 2.1 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 44% and his free throw percentage currently is at 80%. Leron Black averages 14.4 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 23.6 minutes per contest. He also averages 7.1 rebounds per contest and 0.7 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 54% and his free throw percentage is 79%.

BYU averages 85.8 points per contest this season which ranks them 16th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 10.2 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them ranked 118th. Behind the arc they shoot 31% which is good for 287th in the country. They average 46.4 rebounds per game and 17.2 assists per game which ranks them 1st and 26th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 236th with 14.5 per game. The Cougars allow 75.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 224th in the nation. They also allow a 39% shooting percentage and a 30% average from behind the arc ranking them 47th and 39th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 37.7 rebounds a game which ranks 253rd and they give up 13 assists per contest which puts them in 160th place in the country. They force 13.1 turnovers per game which ranks them 226th in Division 1.

Illinois averages 77.6 points per game this year which ranks them 75th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 6.6 and their shooting percentage is 47% as a team which has them sitting in the 72nd spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 90th in the nation. They average 36.4 rebounds per game and 12.5 assists per contest which ranks them 142nd and 216th respectively. In the turnover department the Fighting Illini rank 263rd with 14.9 per game. The Fighting Illini allow 71 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 146th in the country. They also allow a 43% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 143rd and 150th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 32.1 rebounds a game which ranks 36th and they give up 10.4 assists per contest which puts them in 21st place in the nation. The Fighting Illini force 13.8 turnovers per game which ranks them 162nd in college basketball.

The Cougars average 85.5 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 80 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of 8.5 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is 4 per contest. The Cougars have an offensive rating of 106.3 and they assist on 58.1% of their shots. In terms of pace they average 80.7 possessions per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 50%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 55% and they shoot 3 pointers on 30% of their shots. BYU turns the ball over an average of 15.8 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 8.6% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 55.2% while their offensive rebound percentage is 30.6%. The Cougars give up 77 points per game on the road this season and they have surrendered 76 points per contest in their last 3 games.

The Fighting Illini score 84.9 ppg at home and they have averaged 80.3 points per contest in their last 3 games.They have an average scoring differential of 15 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 13 points per game. The Fighting Illini have a rating on offense of 110.2 and 49.2% of their shots are assisted. They possess the ball 72.4 times per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage for the year is 55%. As an offensive unit they have a true shooting percentage of 58% and they attempt 3 pointers on 35% of their shots. Illinois turns it over an average of 17 times per 100 possessions and they steal the ball on 6.9% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 53.4% while their offensive rebound percentage for the season is 31.2%. The Fighting Illini give up 71.9 points per contest at home this year and they have given up 65.3 points per game in their past 3 contests.

BYU Cougars Betting Trends

The BYU Cougars are 4-4 against the spread

The BYU Cougars are 2-6 against the over/under

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Trends

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 3-5 against the spread

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 3-6 against the over/under

BYU Cougars Injuries

12/09/16 F Braiden Shaw Back "?" Saturday vs. Colorado
12/02/16 G Elijah Bryant Knee expected to miss 1-2 weeks

Illinois Fighting Illini Injuries

11/10/16 F Kipper Nichols Eligibility eligible to return Dec. 17

Guy's Pick: Take Illinois

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