Little Rock Trojans vs Missouri State Bears Prediction, 12/21/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Little Rock Trojans vs Missouri State Bears

Date: Monday, December 21, 2020

Location: JQH Arena in Springfield, MO

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: Little Rock (+2.5)

The Little Rock Trojans (4-2) head to JQH Arena on Monday where they'll take on the Missouri State Bears (2-0). Little Rock opens this matchup as 2.5-point dogs. The over/under opens at 145.

Little Rock steps onto the court with a win-loss record of 4-2 for the year. They are turning it over 16.5 times per game and as a unit are committing 16.5 fouls every game. As a team, Little Rock is collecting 34.8 boards per contest and has 95 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 111th in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Trojans are shooting 33.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (34 of 102) and 70.8% from the free throw line. They are averaging 76.0 pts per game (126th in D-1) while connecting on 49.5% from the floor. On the defensive end of the court, the Trojans are forcing their opponents into 16.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.5 personal fouls. The Trojans defense is giving up a FG percentage of 45.2% (156 of 345) and they concede 31.7 boards per contest as a squad. They are 171st in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 73 relinquished for the campaign. They surrender 27.0% on shots from downtown while they are 185th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (70.3).

The Little Rock Trojans faced off with the Champion Christian College Tigers and walked away with a win by a score of 78-50 in their last contest. Little Rock ended having earned a 53.2% field goal percentage (33 of 62) and made 7 out of their 23 shots from distance. When they shot from the free throw line, the Trojans made 5 of their 13 tries for a rate of 38.5%. In reference to hauling in boards, they collected a total of 36 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 20 assists for the contest in addition to having 6 steals and 5 blocked shots. Concerning defending, Little Rock allowed their opponent to shoot 53.2% from the field on 33 out of 62. Champion Christian doled out 8 dimes and 2 steals for this game. Moreover, the Tigers snagged 28 boards (5 offensive, 23 defensive) and had 5 blocks. Champion Christian walked away from this one shooting 50.0% from the charity stripe by making 3 of their 6 attempts. They made 5 of 20 shots from beyond the arc.

Markquis Nowell is one guy who saw a lot of court time in this contest. He accounted for 17 points on 7 out of 13 shooting. He played 27 minutes and also pulled down 4 rebounds. Nowell finished the contest at 53.8% from the field and also earned 10 dimes. One more player that saw the court a lot in this game for the Trojans was Ruot Monyyong. He pulled down 6 rebounds and also collected 2 assists. He finished the contest at 100.0% from the floor for the game by shooting 2-of-2 (5 points). When the game finished, Monyyong played for 19 minutes.

Missouri State has a mark of 2-0 on the season. The Bears commit 16.0 fouls per contest and they shoot 56.4% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 20.0 times per game (17th in college basketball) and they are giving up possession 13.0 times per game. Missouri State has totaled 167 points on the campaign (83.5 per game) and they pull in 42.5 boards per game. When it comes to offense, the Bears are connecting on 51.6% from the floor, which ranks them 45th in D-1. The Bears on defense are ranked 100th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 65.5. The Missouri State defense allows 38.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (16 of 42) and their opponents are making 63.9% of their free throw shots. They allow 8.5 assists and 33.0 rebounds per game, which ranks them 13th and 98th in those categories on the defensive end. They are forcing their opponents into 14.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 38.3% from the field (48th in Division 1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Missouri State Bears took home the win by a final score of 94-67 when they played the Northwestern State Demons. The Bears were able to snag 32 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 in the matchup. They blocked 7 shots while earning 2 steals for the matchup. The Demons were called for 28 personal fouls for the game which took the Bears to the charity stripe for 28 shots. They were able to bury 16 of them for a rate of 57.1%. With regard to shots from 3-point land, Missouri State knocked down 12 of their 34 attempts (35.3%). When this game wrapped up, the Bears walked away from this one shooting 33 for 65 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 50.8%. The Bears allowed the Demons to bury 23 of 62 tries from the floor which had them shooting 37.1% for the contest. They shot 41.2% from three-point range by shooting 7 of 17 and walked away from this one shooting 14 of 21 at the free throw line (66.7%). When it comes to rebounding, Missouri State permitted Northwestern State to pull down 36 in total (8 offensive).

Ja'Monta Black ended up having an impact for the Bears in this matchup. He knocked down 3 of 8 in the game giving him a rate of 37.5%, which earned him 9 points. Black had 5 rebounds in his 36 mins played and tallied 3 dimes in this matchup. Someone else who was a determining factor for Missouri State was Jared Ridder. He walked away with 18 points in 29 minutes on the hardwood by going 6 out of 13 from the floor for the matchup. Ridder finished going 46.2% from the floor while earning 2 assists and 3 total rebounds.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Little Rock (+2.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here