Nicholls State Colonels vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Prediction, 12/17/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Nicholls Colonels vs Mississippi State Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022

Location: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS

TV: SECN

Humphrey Coliseum is the location where the Mississippi State Bulldogs (10-0) will compete against the Nicholls Colonels (4-5) on Saturday.

The Nicholls Colonels played Rust College and took home the win by a score of 85-78 in their last contest. With respect to personal fouls, the Colonels ended up walking away with 23 and Rust College recorded 16 personal fouls. They buried 7 out of their 16 attempts from 3-point range. Rust College finished shooting 63.0% from the charity stripe by making 29 of their 46 tries. On top of that, Rust College pulled down 34 boards (6 offensive, 28 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Rust College distributed 16 assists and had 2 steals in this contest. In relation to defense, Nicholls State allowed their opponent to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 21 out of 42 shooting. They also recorded 19 assists for the contest while creating 17 turnovers and having 10 steals. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they collected 44 with 16 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Colonels buried 10 of 16 shots for a rate of 62.5%. Nicholls State ended with a 47.8% FG percentage (33 out of 69) and made 9 of 25 3-point attempts.

Caleb Huffman is a player who was a major factor for the matchup. He finished shooting 72.2% from the field and distributed 3 assists. He played 27 minutes played and also snagged 4 rebounds. He accounted for 31 points on 13 out of 18 shooting.

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Nicholls State enters this contest with a win-loss mark of 4-5 so far this year. They average 79.1 points per game (62nd in the nation) while shooting 45.6% from the floor. The Colonels are shooting 33.5% from downtown (71 of 212) and 66.9% from the free throw line. As a team, Nicholls State is collecting 34.3 boards per contest and has accounted for 136 dimes for the year, which is 222nd in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 15.1 times per contest and as a team they are committing 23.3 fouls per game.

On defense, the Colonels have forced 20.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 242nd in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 142 surrendered on the season. The Colonels defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 45.3% (228 of 503) and they surrender 38.3 boards per game as a team. They are conceding 28.5% on shots from distance and they are ranked 326th in D-1 in points per game allowed (75.7).

The last time they took the court, the Mississippi State Bulldogs walked away with a victory by a final of 69-52 against Jackson State. In reference to team rebounding, Mississippi State allowed Jackson State to collect 22 in all (5 offensive). They finished 53.3% from downtown by shooting 8 of 15 and ended up going 6 out of 9 from the free throw line (66.7%). The Bulldogs permitted Jackson State to bury 19 out of 49 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 38.8% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Bulldogs finished 23 out of 49 from the floor which had them at 46.9%. In relation to shots from downtown, Mississippi State made 8 of 26 attempts (30.8%). They were able to bury 15 of them for a rate of 75.0%. Jackson State committed 14 fouls in this game which took the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for 20 tries. They coughed up the ball 15 times, while earning 12 steals for the contest. The Bulldogs earned 15 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 24 for the matchup.

D.J. Jeffries ended up being a major contributor for the Bulldogs for this contest. He totaled 15 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 3 dimes in this matchup. He made 5 out of 13 for this contest giving him a rate of 38.5%, and added 5 rebounds.

Mississippi State has a win-loss record of 10-0 on the campaign. The Bulldogs have committed 13.0 personal fouls every game and they go 65.2% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 15.9 times per game (51st in college basketball) and they are turning it over 11.5 times per game. Mississippi State has tallied 699 points this year (69.9 per contest) and they collect 40.7 boards per game. As an offense, the Bulldogs are shooting 43.4% from the field, which ranks 235th in the nation.

The Mississippi State defense gives up 28.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter (63 of 221) and their opponents are converting on 67.9% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 10.8 dimes and 32.6 total boards per game, which ranks them 71st and 101st in Division 1. The Bulldogs are ranked 2nd in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 50.7. They are able to force 16.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 35.0% from the field (6th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Nicholls State

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