VMI Keydets vs Gardner-Webb Bulldogs Prediction, 12/18/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: VMI Keydets vs Gardner-Webb Bulldogs

Date: Friday, December 18, 2020

Location: Paul Porter Arena in Boiling Springs, NC

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: VMI (+3.5)

The VMI Keydets (5-2) head to Paul Porter Arena on Friday where they'll meet the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (0-3). Gardner-Webb opens this game as 3.5-point favorites. The over/under has been set at 142.5.

VMI will play this game with a mark of 5-2 on the year. They are averaging 83.0 points per outing (53rd in college hoops) on 48.4% from the field. The Keydets are shooting 38.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (81 of 213) and 79.6% from the free throw line. As a team, VMI is snagging 42.0 boards per game and is sitting with 128 dimes on the campaign, which has them ranked 13th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 15.9 times per contest and as a unit are committing 14.4 fouls every game. On the defensive end of the court, the Keydets are able to force 13.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 14.6 fouls. The Keydets are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 38.9% (176 of 453) and they concede 35.0 rebounds per game as a group. They are 257th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 85 surrendered this season. They concede 31.1% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 164th in D-1 in PPG allowed (69.3).

The VMI Keydets took the court against the Campbellsville University Tigers and walked away with a win by a score of 106-72 in their last game. VMI walked away from the contest having earned a 56.9% FG percentage (41 out of 72) and converted 21 of their 42 3-pointers. When they shot from the free throw line, the Keydets buried 3 of 4 tries for a percentage of 75.0%. In terms of hauling in rebounds, they compiled 42 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 33 dimes in this contest while having 7 steals and 3 blocked shots. Pertaining to defense, VMI allowed 56.9% from the floor on 41 out of 72. Campbellsville earned 15 assists and 10 steals in this matchup. Furthurmore, the Tigers pulled down 22 boards (8 offensive, 14 defensive) and had 3 rejections. Campbellsville shot 80.0% at the free throw line by knocking down 8 of 10 shots. They also made 10 of their 32 attempts from downtown.

Sean Conway is a player who had an impact for the matchup. He recorded 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 21 mins and grabbed 4 rebounds. Conway walked away from this one shooting 55.6% from the field and distributed 3 dimes. An additional guy that saw a lot of time on the hardwood in the matchup for the Keydets was Greg Parham. He snagged 2 rebounds and accounted for 5 assists. He finished 66.7% from the field for this contest by shooting 6-of-9 (17 points). When all was said and done, Parham saw the court for 20 min.

Gardner-Webb has a mark of 0-3 so far this year. As an offense, the Bulldogs are shooting 40.2% from the floor, which ranks 299th in the country. Gardner-Webb has totaled 194 points so far this season (64.7 per game) and they grab 38.0 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 13.3 times per contest (182nd in college basketball) and they are turning it over 16.3 times per contest. The Bulldogs commit 21.3 fouls per game while shooting 63.4% from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs on the defensive end are ranked 221st in the nation in PPG allowed with 72.7. They are able to force 10.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.1% from the field (71st in the country). The Gardner-Webb defense allows 27.1% on 3-pointers (19 of 70) and their opposition knocks down 68.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 16.7 assists and 44.7 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 299th and 322nd in those categories on the defensive end.

In their last game, the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs took a defeat with a final score of 65-60 when they played the East Tennessee State Buccaneers. The Bulldogs earned 30 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 for this game. They rejected 3 tries while earning 6 steals for this game. The Buccaneers committed 18 personal fouls for this contest which got the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for a total of 13 attempts. They were able to bury 9 of the free throws for a rate of 69.2%. In reference to shots from beyond the arc, Gardner-Webb converted 11 out of 28 tries (39.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Bulldogs finished shooting 20 out of 52 from the field which had them sitting at 38.5%. The Bulldogs permitted the Buccaneers to convert 22 of 60 tries from the field which had them shooting 36.7% for the game. They finished 29.4% from three-point range by connecting on 10 out of 34 and ended up shooting 11 of 15 at the free throw line (73.3%). In relation to cleaning the glass, Gardner-Webb allowed East Tennessee State to collect 32 in total (7 on the offensive side).

Kareem Reid ended up having an impact for the Bulldogs in this game. He knocked down 4 of 9 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 44.4%, which gave him 8 points. Reid had 7 rebounds in his 26 mins and had 2 dimes in this contest. Someone else that played a role for Gardner-Webb was Jaheam Cornwall. He racked up 9 points in 24 minutes on the court via 3 of 7 shooting for this game. Cornwall ended the game having shot 42.9% from the field while earning 3 assists and 7 rebounds.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Gardner-Webb (-3.5) and over 142.5 points

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