LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds vs Sacred Heart Pioneers Prediction, 12/17/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds vs Sacred Heart Pioneers

Date: Thursday, December 17, 2020

Location: William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, CT

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: LIU Brooklyn (-2)

The LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds (15-18 last year) are headed to William H. Pitt Center on Thursday where they'll meet the Sacred Heart Pioneers (0-1). Sacred Heart opens this matchup as 2-point dogs. The over/under is set at 151.

LIU Brooklyn heads into this matchup after finishing with a win-loss record of 15-18 last year. They had an average of 75.9 pts per contest (137th in the nation) while going 44.1% from the floor. The Blackbirds hit on 34.4% on shots from 3-point land (312 of 906) and 71.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, LIU Brooklyn snagged 34.1 boards per game and accumulated 471 assists last season, which was 1st in the country in terms of passing. They turned it over 14.0 times per game and as a squad committed 17.0 fouls per game. On the defensive end, the Blackbirds were able to force their opponents into 14.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.9 personal fouls. They were 325th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 476 surrendered over the course of last season. The Blackbirds defense allowed a FG percentage of 44.0% (930 of 2,114) and they surrendered 39.8 boards per game as a team. They gave up 33.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they were ranked 261st in D-1 in opponents PPG (76.8).

The LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds took the court against the Robert Morris Colonials and ended up losing by a score of 86-66 in their last contest. LIU Brooklyn ended the contest having earned a 35.8% field goal percentage (19 of 53) and knocked down 8 out of their 26 3-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Blackbirds converted 20 of their 23 attempts for a percentage of 87.0%. When discussing getting rebounds, they compiled 23 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 7 assists for the matchup as well as earning 5 steals and 2 blocks. In reference to defense, LIU Brooklyn allowed the other team to go 35.8% from the floor on 19 out of 53. Robert Morris recorded 20 assists and 11 steals for the contest. Additionally, the Colonials grabbed 34 rebounds (6 offensive, 28 defensive) and added 2 blocks. Robert Morris ended up going 80.8% at the charity stripe by converting 21 of their 26 shots. They converted 9 out of their 19 tries from three-point range.

Jermaine Jackson is a player who was pivotal for the matchup. He recorded 19 points on 6 of 13 shooting. He played for 36 mins played and also totaled 2 rebounds. Jackson finished the game shooting 46.2% from the floor and totaled 2 assists. One more player that was a factor in the matchup for the Blackbirds was Ty Flowers. He pulled down 3 rebounds and earned 2 assists. He finished the contest at 30.0% from the field for the contest by shooting 3-of-10 (11 points). When the game finished, Flowers played for 35 min.

Sacred Heart has a win-loss record of 0-1 on the campaign. As an offense, the Pioneers are shooting 37.3% from the floor, which ranks 328th in college basketball. Sacred Heart has scored 63 points on the season and they collect 31 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 15 times per game (113th in Division 1) and they cough up possession 14 times per game. The Pioneers commit 13 fouls every game and they hit 44.4% from the free throw line. The Pioneers defensively are ranked 309th in Division 1 in PPG allowed with 86. They have surrendered 23 assists and 46 boards per contest, ranking them 323rd and 318th in Division 1. The Sacred Heart defense concedes 12.5% on 3-point shots (1 of 8) and their opponents are converting on 33.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are able to force 9.0 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 60.6% from the field (325th in college basketball).

When they last stepped on the court, the Sacred Heart Pioneers took a loss by a final score of 86-63 against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Pioneers recorded 19 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 29 for the matchup. They also stuffed 3 shots while earning 6 steals for this game. The Scarlet Knights were called for 13 fouls for the game which took the Pioneers to the charity stripe for a total of 9 attempts. They were able to convert 4 of the free throws for a percentage of 44.4%. When it comes to three-point attempts, Sacred Heart buried 9 out of 25 tries (36.0%). At the conclusion of this game, the Pioneers walked away from this one shooting 25 out of 67 from the floor which had them at 37.3%. The Pioneers permitted the Scarlet Knights to knock down 40 out of their 66 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 60.6% in this contest. They shot 12.5% from downtown by shooting 1 out of 8 and ended up going 5 out of 15 from the free throw line (33.3%). When discussing cleaning up the glass, Sacred Heart permitted Rutgers to pull down 44 overall (12 offensive).

Aaron Clarke ended up being a factor for the Pioneers for the contest. He knocked down 7 out of 18 in this game giving him a rate of 38.9%, which gave him 17 points. Clarke grabbed 2 rebounds in his 32 minutes played and had 4 dimes in this matchup. An additional guy who saw a lot of action for Sacred Heart was Nico Galette. He totaled 9 points in his 24 minutes on the court by going 4 of 10 from the floor in this matchup. Galette finished going 40.0% from the field in addition to collecting 2 dimes and 4 rebounds.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Sacred Heart (+2)

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