Alabama A&M Bulldogs vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 12/17/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Alabama A&M Bulldogs vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: Hulu Live TV

The Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3) welcome the Alabama A&M Bulldogs (3-6) at State Farm Center on Saturday.

The Alabama A&M Bulldogs played South Alabama and went home with a win by a final score of 71-59 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Bulldogs finished with 13 while South Alabama racked up 16 personal fouls. They converted 11 out of their 34 attempts from distance. South Alabama finished the contest at 40.0% at the charity stripe by burying 4 of 10 tries. In addition, South Alabama pulled down 37 rebounds (8 offensive, 29 defensive), but didn't have a block. South Alabama doled out 10 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. In regard to defense, Alabama A&M allowed their opponent to shoot 37.9% from the field on 22 of 58 shooting. They also distributed 12 dimes in the matchup as well as creating 17 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In regard to pulling down boards, they collected 22 with 3 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Bulldogs made 10 of their 10 shots for a percentage of 100.0%. Alabama A&M ended with a 44.1% FG percentage (26 out of 59) and made 9 of their 19 shots from distance.

Omari Peek is a player who was a major factor for the contest. He ended up finishing with 23 points on 8 of 14 shooting. He was on the court for 29 minutes and totaled 3 boards. He finished the game shooting 57.1% from the field and earned 2 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Tonight

Alabama A&M enters this one with a record of 3-6 on the year. They are turning it over 14.4 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.3 fouls per contest. As a unit, Alabama A&M is snagging 32.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 125 dimes so far this season, which ranks 278th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Bulldogs are connecting on 38.7% on shots from distance (72 of 186) and 69.3% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 74.3 pts per game (152nd in the nation) while shooting 44.0% from the field.

On defense, the Bulldogs are forcing 17.3 turnovers every game and they draw 16.4 fouls. They are ranked 220th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 137 conceded on the campaign. The Bulldogs defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.3% (241 of 532) and they concede 39.0 rebounds per contest as a group. They give up 40.5% on shots from distance and they are ranked 344th in D-1 in opponents points per game (77.2).

The last time they took the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini went home defeated by a final of 74-59 when they faced Penn State. The Fighting Illini were able to pull down 24 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards totaling 31 in this matchup. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while recording 4 steals for the matchup. Penn State was called for 15 fouls for the contest which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for a total of 12 tries. They were able to knock down 6 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 50.0%. When talking about 3-point shots, Illinois knocked down 7 of their 23 attempts (30.4%). When all was said and done, the Fighting Illini finished the game shooting 23 out of 52 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.2%. The Fighting Illini allowed Penn State to knock down 27 of 54 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 50.0% for this contest. They went 50.0% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 12 out of 24 and ended up going 8 of 10 at the free throw line (80.0%). In regard to cleaning up the glass, Illinois permitted Penn State to snag 25 overall (3 on the offensive side).

Matthew Mayer was important for the Fighting Illini for the matchup. He converted 4 of 11 for the contest for a field goal rate of 36.4%, and had 3 rebounds. He scored 14 points in his 23 mins of playing time, but went home with no dimes.

Illinois has a win-loss record of 7-3 for the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Fighting Illini are hitting on 47.3% from the field, which ranks them 79th in the nation. Illinois has accumulated 791 pts on the year (79.1 per game) and they grab 39.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.0 times per contest (95th in college basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.8 times per game. The Fighting Illini commit 16.5 personal fouls per game and they shoot 65.4% from the free throw line.

The Illinois defense concedes 32.8% on 3-point shots (64 of 195) and their opponents are connecting on 69.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 11.7 assists and 32.8 boards every game, which ranks them 123rd and 108th in those categories. The Fighting Illini on defense are ranked 72nd in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 63.6. They are forcing their opponents into 16.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 39.2% from the field (45th in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Illinois

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