Denver Pioneers vs Grand Canyon Antelopes Prediction, 12/29/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Denver Pioneers vs Grand Canyon Antelopes

Date: Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Location: GCU Arena in Phoenix, AZ

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: Denver (+16)

The Grand Canyon Antelopes (4-3) play the Denver Pioneers (1-6) at GCU Arena on Tuesday. Grand Canyon opens this game as 16-point favorites. The O/U opens at 140.

Denver heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 1-6 on the year. The Pioneers are shooting 32.1% on shots from 3-point land (34 of 106) and 76.3% from the free throw line. They are averaging 69.1 points per outing (240th in D-1) while shooting 47.0% from the field. They are losing possession via turnover 16.0 times per contest and as a team they commit 19.1 fouls every game. As a unit, Denver is pulling in 31.9 rebounds per game and is sitting with 81 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 217th in the nation in terms of passing. On defense, the Pioneers are able to force 13.0 turnovers every game and they draw 20.0 fouls. They concede 37.2% on 3-point attempts and they are 265th in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (75.1). The Pioneers defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.4% (186 of 410) and they concede 31.7 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are ranked 151st in D-1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 83 surrendered on the season.

The Denver Pioneers played the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks and took a loss by a final of 68-65 in their last contest. Denver finished the game having earned a 52.2% FG percentage (24 out of 46) and knocked down 6 out of their 18 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Pioneers knocked down 11 of their 17 attempts for a percentage of 64.7%. When discussing rebounding, they collected 25 with 2 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 12 assists in this game as well as getting 5 steals and 7 blocks. In the matter of defense, Denver allowed the other team to go 52.2% from the floor on 24 out of 46 shooting. Northern Arizona distributed 8 assists and had 4 steals for this contest. Moreover, the Lumberjacks had 32 boards (10 offensive, 22 defensive) and earned 7 rejections. Northern Arizona finished shooting 82.6% at the charity stripe by making 19 of 23 attempts. They also made 3 of 15 tries from distance.

Jase Townsend is someone who had an impact in this contest. He ended up with 16 points on 5 out of 11 shooting. He played for 34 minutes and pulled down 2 rebounds. Townsend walked away from this one shooting 45.5% from the floor and also dished out 3 assists. An additional guy that played a role in the game for the Pioneers was Drake Muller. He grabbed 2 rebounds and earned 2 dimes. He finished shooting 80.0% from the floor for the game by shooting 4-of-5 (11 points). When the final whistle was blown, Muller played 18 min.

Grand Canyon has a record of 4-3 for the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Antelopes are connecting on 51.6% from the field, which is ranked 36th in college basketball. Grand Canyon has totaled 537 points this year (76.7 per contest) and they snag 40.1 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.3 times per contest (91st in Division 1) and they are turning it over 13.6 times per contest. The Antelopes commit 17.0 personal fouls per contest and they go 65.6% from the free throw line. The Antelopes are ranked 87th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 65.0. The Grand Canyon defense allows 34.3% on shots from behind the 3-point line (60 of 175) and opponents are connecting on 72.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 9.9 assists and 27.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 30th and 5th in those defensive categories. They are able to force 11.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 40.3% from the floor (96th in college basketball).

When they last stepped on the court, the Grand Canyon Antelopes walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 74-64 when they played the Colorado Buffaloes. The Antelopes recorded 21 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 for the matchup. They also stuffed 2 attempts while getting 2 steals in the game. The Buffaloes were called for 15 personal fouls in this game which took the Antelopes to the charity stripe for a total of 8 attempts. They were able to knock down 5 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 62.5%. Regarding three-point shots, Grand Canyon knocked down 5 of their 20 attempts (25.0%). In all, the Antelopes finished 27 out of 53 from the field which had them shooting 50.9%. The Antelopes allowed the Buffaloes to convert 24 out of their 48 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0% in this contest. They finished 47.1% from distance by hitting 8 of 17 and finished the contest at 18 out of 21 from the charity stripe (85.7%). With respect to cleaning the glass, Grand Canyon permitted Colorado to get 19 overall (3 on the offensive side).

Jovan Blacksher ended up being a factor for the Antelopes in this game. He converted 7 of 9 for this game for a field goal percentage of 77.8%, which gave him 17 points. Blacksher pulled down 4 rebounds in his 36 minutes played and had 3 assists for the contest. Someone else that ended up playing a role for Grand Canyon was Asbjorn Midtgaard. He notched 16 points in 33 minutes on the hardwood by way of 8 of 9 from the floor in the game. Midtgaard ended the game having shot 88.9% from the floor while also collecting 2 dimes and 9 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Grand Canyon (-16)

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