Arizona Wildcats vs Florida Atlantic Owls Prediction, 12/23/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Arizona Wildcats vs Florida Atlantic Owls

Date: Saturday, December 23, 2023

Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV

TV: FOX

The Arizona Wildcats (9-1) are hitting the road to T-Mobile Arena on Saturday where they will go up against the Florida Atlantic Owls (9-2).

The Arizona Wildcats took the court against Alabama and went home with a win by a final score of 87-74 in their last contest. Arizona finished the contest with a 43.1% FG percentage (28 out of 65) and buried 4 of their 17 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Wildcats buried 27 of 37 tries for a percentage of 73.0%. Concerning grabbing boards, they collected 44 with 14 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 12 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and earning 13 steals. With respect to defense, Arizona let their opponent shoot 33.8% from the floor on 22 of 65 shooting. Alabama totaled 12 dimes and had 10 steals for this game. On top of that, Alabama had 35 rebounds (13 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Alabama walked away from this one shooting 84.6% at the charity stripe by making 22 of 26 shots. They also made 8 of 40 attempts from distance. With respect to personal fouls, the Wildcats ended up walking away with 20 and Alabama finished the game with 25 personal fouls.

Oumar Ballo is a player who was important in this game. He finished the game at 45.5% from the field but didn't record an assist. He was on the court for 31 minutes played and also grabbed 12 boards. He ended up with 16 points on 5 of 11 shooting.

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Arizona heads into this contest with a record of 9-1 on the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.8 times per game and as a squad they commit 16.3 fouls per contest. As a unit, Arizona is pulling down 44.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 209 assists this season, which has them ranked 15th in the nation in terms of passing. The Wildcats are hitting 37.7% on three-point shots (78 of 207) and 74.0% from the free throw line. They are averaging 92.3 points per contest (2nd in college hoops) while going 50.7% from the field.

Defensively, the Wildcats are forcing their opponents into 15.2 turnovers per game and they draw 19.7 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 134th in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 134 relinquished on the season. The Wildcats defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 40.0% (249 of 623) and they surrender 29.6 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are surrendering 32.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 107th in college basketball in opponents points per game (67.7).

The last time they took the court, the Florida Atlantic Owls walked away with a victory by a final of 64-54 against St. Bonaventure. Concerning attacking the glass, Florida Atlantic allowed St. Bonaventure to snag 28 in total (2 on the offensive glass). They went 38.9% from distance by going 7 of 18 and finished the contest at 7 out of 11 at the free throw line (63.6%). The Owls allowed St. Bonaventure to make 20 of their 48 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 41.7% for the game. When the final whistle blew, the Owls shot 23 for 56 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 41.1%. With respect to three-point shots, Florida Atlantic converted 5 out of 20 attempts (25.0%). They were able to knock down 13 of them for a percentage of 56.5%. St. Bonaventure earned 17 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Owls to the free throw line for 23 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while recording 9 steals in the game. The Owls were able to collect 26 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 for the contest.

Johnell Davis ended up having an impact for the Owls for the game. He converted 5 out of 14 in this matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 35.7%, and accumulated 9 rebounds. He accumulated 16 points in his 33 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 4 assists for this contest.

Florida Atlantic has a mark of 9-2 on the year. The Owls are committing 16.9 personal fouls every game while shooting 68.1% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 15.9 times per game (66th in the nation) and they are giving up possession 11.6 times per contest. Florida Atlantic has totaled 918 pts this year (83.5 per contest) and they grab 37.4 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Owls are connecting on 50.8% from the floor, which is ranked 10th in the country.

The Florida Atlantic defense concedes 33.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter (82 of 244) and their opposition makes 70.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 9.5 assists and 31.8 boards per game, which is 15th and 49th in college hoops. The Owls defensively are ranked 112th in college basketball in PPG given up with 68.1. They are forcing 13.7 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.1% from the floor (162nd in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Florida Atlantic

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