Appalachian State Mountaineers vs South Alabama Jaguars Prediction, 3/2/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Appalachian State Mountaineers vs South Alabama Jaguars

Date: Thursday, March 2, 2023

Location: Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, FL

TV: ESPN+

The South Alabama Jaguars (16-15) will try to defeat the Appalachian State Mountaineers (16-15) at Pensacola Bay Center on Thursday.

The Appalachian State Mountaineers faced Georgia Southern and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 73-64 in their last contest. Appalachian State finished with a 42.6% FG percentage (23 of 54) and converted 6 out of their 20 three-point shots. At the free throw line, the Mountaineers made 12 of their 18 shots for a percentage of 66.7%. When it comes to getting rebounds, they collected 32 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 11 assists for the contest while forcing the opposition into 5 turnovers and getting 2 steals. In terms of the defense, Appalachian State allowed their opponent to shoot 47.3% from the field on 26 of 55 shooting. Georgia Southern distributed 15 dimes and had 5 steals in this matchup. Moreover, Georgia Southern had 25 rebounds (5 offensive, 20 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Georgia Southern walked away from this one shooting 72.2% at the charity stripe by converting 13 of 18 shots. They converted 8 of 19 tries from distance. When it comes to personal fouls, the Mountaineers ended up with 14 while Georgia Southern finished the game with 12 personal fouls.

CJ Huntley is someone who played a role for the game. He ended up going 62.5% from the floor but finished the game without a dime. He played for 29 mins and collected 5 boards. He racked up 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting.

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Appalachian State enters this matchup with a record of 16-15 on the season. They average 70.5 pts per contest (205th in D-1) while connecting on 44.4% from the floor. The Mountaineers are shooting 33.4% from downtown (235 of 704) and 67.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Appalachian State is snagging 35.7 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 406 assists for the year, which ranks 145th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 11.1 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 13.8 personal fouls per contest.

On defense, the Mountaineers are able to force 12.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.1 fouls. They currently rank 149th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 367 conceded for the season. The Mountaineers defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 40.0% (726 of 1,814) and they surrender 36.0 boards per contest as a team. They are surrendering 32.0% on 3-point attempts and they are 35th in college basketball in points per game allowed (64.5).

When they last stepped on the court, the South Alabama Jaguars took a loss by a final score of 74-64 when they played Louisiana. The Jaguars recorded 19 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards for a total of 25 in this game. They coughed it up 7 times, while earning 4 steals in this game. Louisiana had 14 fouls in the matchup which took the Jaguars to the charity stripe for a total of 21 attempts. They were able to knock down 12 of those for a percentage of 57.1%. In terms of shots from distance, South Alabama knocked down 4 out of their 13 tries (30.8%). When the final whistle blew, the Jaguars finished shooting 24 out of 56 from the field which had them sitting at 42.9%. The Jaguars permitted Louisiana to convert 27 of 55 tries from the floor which had them shooting 49.1% in the game. They went 12.5% from beyond the arc by shooting 2 out of 16 and finished the contest at 18 of 28 from the free throw line (64.3%). With respect to team rebounding, South Alabama permitted Louisiana to pull down 39 in total (11 on the offensive glass).

Isaiah Moore pitched in for the Jaguars for the game. He earned 22 points in his 35 minutes on the court and had 3 dimes in the game. He buried 10 of 20 for this contest for a rate of 50.0%, and earned 1 rebound.

South Alabama has a record of 16-15 for the year. The Jaguars are responsible for committing 14.4 fouls per game and they shoot 69.4% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 11.6 times per game (305th in the country) and they turn the ball over 10.0 times per contest. South Alabama has totaled 2,196 pts for the year (70.8 per contest) and they snag 32.9 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Jaguars are hitting on 46.6% from the field, which ranks 65th in the nation.

The South Alabama defense allows 29.3% on shots from 3-point land (149 of 509) and their opponents are converting on 71.4% of their foul shots. They have given up 10.1 dimes and 35.9 rebounds per game, which is 19th and 294th in D-1. The Jaguars on defense are ranked 53rd in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 65.3. They have forced 11.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.1% from the field (83rd in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Appalachian State

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