Central Arkansas Bears vs Missouri Tigers Prediction, 12/30/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Central Arkansas Bears vs Missouri Tigers

Date: Saturday, December 30, 2023

Location: Mizzou Arena in Columbia, MO

TV: ESPN+

Mizzou Arena is the location where the Missouri Tigers (7-5) will attempt to defeat the Central Arkansas Bears (3-10) on Saturday.

The Central Arkansas Bears played Western Illinois and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 65-54 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Bears ended up finishing with 19 while Western Illinois accumulated 17 fouls. They buried 4 of their 8 shots from downtown. Western Illinois finished 50.0% from the charity stripe by burying 13 of their 26 shots. Furthermore, Western Illinois totaled 37 rebounds (5 offensive, 32 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Western Illinois doled out 12 dimes and had 12 steals for the game. When it comes to defending, Central Arkansas allowed the other team to shoot 52.2% from the floor on 24 out of 46 shooting. They also recorded 5 dimes for the contest as well as forcing the opposition into 15 turnovers and earning 9 steals. When discussing hauling in rebounds, they compiled 30 with 8 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Bears converted 14 of their 19 shots for a percentage of 73.7%. Central Arkansas ended with a 31.0% FG percentage (18 out of 58) and made 4 of 21 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Carl Daugherty is one player who played a role for this game. He ended up shooting 57.1% from the floor but had no assists when the time ran out. He played for 12 minutes but ended the game without a board. He ended up scoring 11 points on 4 out of 7 shooting.

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Central Arkansas comes into this game with a mark of 3-10 on the year. They currently have an average of 69.2 points per game (302nd in the country) while hitting 39.6% from the floor. The Bears are shooting 33.7% on three-point shots (104 of 309) and 73.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Central Arkansas is pulling down 35.8 rebounds per game and has accounted for 172 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 151st in the nation in terms of passing. They are turning it over 13.1 times per contest and as a squad are committing 18.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bears are forcing their opponents into 12.7 turnovers every game while drawing 16.2 fouls. They rank 275th in D-1 in giving up assists with 171 surrendered on the year. The Bears are giving up a shooting percentage of 44.3% (338 of 763) and they surrender 39.5 boards per game as a basketball team. They give up 37.4% from 3-point land and they are ranked 292nd in college basketball in PPG allowed (75.6).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Missouri Tigers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 97-73 against Illinois. The Tigers snagged 22 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 30 in this game. They also turned it over 6 times, while earning 8 steals for the matchup. Illinois was called for 14 personal fouls for the game which took the Tigers to the free throw line for a total of 16 attempts. They were able to bury 9 of them for a percentage of 56.3%. In the matter of shots from distance, Missouri buried 6 of 27 attempts (22.2%). When all was said and done, the Tigers ended up shooting 29 for 74 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 39.2%. The Tigers permitted Illinois to convert 32 out of their 65 tries from the field which had them shooting 49.2% for the game. They finished 33.3% from 3-point land by connecting on 11 out of 33 and ended up going 22 out of 31 from the free throw line (71.0%). When it comes to team rebounding, Missouri allowed Illinois to get 47 overall (15 on the offensive side).

Sean East ended up being a major contributor for the Tigers in this game. He buried 8 out of 17 for the matchup giving him a rate of 47.1%, and earned 2 rebounds. He racked up 18 points in his 32 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 assists in the matchup.

Missouri has a win-loss mark of 7-5 this season. The Tigers have committed 18.3 personal fouls every game and they hit 76.0% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.5 times per contest (186th in college basketball) and they turn it over 11.2 times per game. Missouri has scored 903 points this year (75.3 per game) and they grab 33.0 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Tigers are shooting 44.5% from the field, which has them ranked 195th in Division 1.

The Missouri defense allows 31.8% on 3-pointers (84 of 264) and their opponents are converting on 74.1% of their free throw attempts. They allow 12.9 assists and 38.1 boards every game, which has them ranked 203rd and 309th in those defensive categories. The Tigers on defense are ranked 219th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 72.3. They are forcing 14.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 43.1% from the field (207th in college basketball).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Central Arkansas

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