Portland Pilots vs BYU Cougars Prediction, 12/31/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Portland Pilots vs BYU Cougars

Date: Saturday, December 31, 2022

Location: Marriott Center in Provo, UT

TV: Youtube TV

The Portland Pilots (8-7) are traveling to Marriott Center on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the BYU Cougars (10-5).

The Portland Pilots faced UC Riverside and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 76-65 in their last contest. Portland wrapped up the game with a 47.7% FG percentage (21 of 44) and made 6 of their 17 3-pointers. From the free throw line, the Pilots made 17 of 27 tries for a rate of 63.0%. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they earned 26 with 4 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 7 dimes in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and earning 3 steals. In the matter of defense, Portland allowed 44.1% from the field on 30 of 68 shooting. UC Riverside totaled 14 assists and had 7 steals for the matchup. Moreover, UC Riverside grabbed 35 rebounds (10 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. UC Riverside shot 72.7% when shooting free throws by converting 8 of their 11 attempts. They made 8 out of their 19 attempts from beyond the arc. In relation to personal fouls, the Pilots walked away with 15 while UC Riverside totaled 23 personal fouls.

Alden Applewhite is one guy who was a major factor in the game. He finished the contest at 63.6% from the field and also totaled 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 34 mins and collected 4 boards. He ended up walking away with 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting.

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Portland will play this game with a mark of 8-7 this season. They average 79.3 points per outing (57th in the country) while connecting on 46.6% from the field. The Pilots are hitting 38.5% on shots from distance (150 of 390) and 73.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Portland is pulling in 34.8 rebounds per game and has earned 256 dimes this year, which has them ranked 3rd in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 13.3 times per contest and as a unit are committing 17.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Pilots are forcing their opponents into 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 21.7 personal fouls. They are ranked 323rd in the country in giving up assists to the opposition with 195 relinquished for the season. The Pilots defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 42.2% (387 of 918) and they relinquish 34.6 boards per contest as a unit. They give up 36.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 266th in D-1 in PPG allowed (72.2).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the BYU Cougars got the victory with a final of 63-57 against Weber State. The Cougars were able to pull down 27 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 for this contest. They also coughed it up 14 times, while recording 4 steals for this contest. Weber State had 18 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 20 shots. They were able to bury 17 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 85.0%. In regard to three-point shots, BYU knocked down 6 of their 24 attempts (25.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Cougars finished the game shooting 20 for 52 from the field which gave them a rate of 38.5%. The Cougars allowed Weber State to convert 21 of 53 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 39.6% for this game. They finished 25.0% from distance by shooting 6 out of 24 and finished the game at 9 of 12 at the free throw line (75.0%). In regard to how they cleaned up the glass, BYU allowed Weber State to collect 22 in total (1 on the offensive glass).

Fousseyni Traore ended up being a factor for the Cougars in this game. He converted 5 of 10 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and tallied 8 rebounds. He totaled 17 points in his 29 minutes on the court and had 1 assist in this game.

BYU has a record of 10-5 for the season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Cougars are connecting on 43.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 218th in Division 1. BYU has 1,149 points on the campaign (76.6 per contest) and they grab 40.9 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 16.1 times per contest (46th in D-1) and they turn it over 15.4 times per contest. The Cougars are responsible for committing 19.3 personal fouls per contest and they go 68.6% from the free throw line.

The BYU defense surrenders 35.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter (114 of 318) and opponents are knocking down 67.8% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 12.5 dimes and 32.8 boards per game, which has them ranked 178th and 114th in the nation. The Cougars are ranked 221st in college hoops in points allowed per game with 69.9. They are able to force 14.8 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.6% from the field (178th in Division 1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take BYU

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