Central Arkansas Bears vs Oklahoma Sooners Prediction, 12/28/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Central Arkansas Bears vs Oklahoma Sooners

Date: Thursday, December 28, 2023

Location: Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, OK

TV: ESPN+

Lloyd Noble Center is where the Oklahoma Sooners (10-1) will try to beat the Central Arkansas Bears (3-10) on Thursday.

The Central Arkansas Bears faced Western Illinois and took a loss by a score of 65-54 in their last game. Central Arkansas walked away from the contest with a 31.0% FG percentage (18 out of 58) and converted 4 of their 21 3-pointers. At the free throw line, the Bears made 14 of 19 attempts for a rate of 73.7%. When talking about pulling down rebounds, they collected a total of 30 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 5 assists for this contest while forcing 15 turnovers and earning 9 steals. With regard to the defense, Central Arkansas allowed the other team to go 52.2% from the floor on 24 out of 46 shooting. Western Illinois doled out 12 assists and had 12 steals in this matchup. Additionally, Western Illinois collected 37 rebounds (5 offensive, 32 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Western Illinois finished shooting 50.0% when shooting free throws by knocking down 13 of 26 shots. They also converted 4 of 8 attempts from beyond the perimeter. When talking about fouls, the Bears ended up with 19 while Western Illinois racked up 17 fouls.

Carl Daugherty is someone who came through in this contest. He was able to score 11 points on 4 of 7 shooting. He was on the court for 12 minutes but wasn't able to snag any boards. He finished the game shooting 57.1% from the floor but wasn't able to get an assist.

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Central Arkansas will play this game with a mark of 3-10 for the year. They are averaging 69.2 points per outing (302nd in the nation) while connecting on 39.6% from the floor. The Bears are shooting 33.7% on shots from 3-point land (104 of 309) and 73.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Central Arkansas is grabbing 35.8 boards per game and has accumulated 172 dimes for the season, which ranks 149th in the country in terms of passing. They are turning it over 13.1 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 18.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Bears are forcing 12.7 turnovers per game while drawing 16.2 fouls. They concede 37.4% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 292nd in the country in points per game allowed (75.6). The Bears are giving up a FG percentage of 44.3% (338 of 763) and they surrender 39.5 boards per contest as a unit. They are ranked 275th in the country in giving up assists with 171 surrendered for the year.

The last time they took the court, the Oklahoma Sooners walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 81-69 when they played North Carolina. The Sooners were able to pull down 26 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 34 in this game. They gave up possession 18 times, while getting 3 steals in the game. North Carolina had 18 fouls in this game which got the Sooners to the charity stripe for a total of 24 attempts. They were able to convert 16 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 66.7%. With respect to three-point shots, Oklahoma buried 7 of 23 attempts (30.4%). When this game wrapped up, the Sooners ended up going 23 out of 57 from the field which gave them a percentage of 40.4%. The Sooners allowed North Carolina to knock down 26 of 60 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 43.3% for the matchup. They shot 40.9% from distance by shooting 9 of 22 and finished the game at 20 out of 26 at the free throw line (76.9%). In relation to rebounding, Oklahoma permitted North Carolina to collect 34 in all (7 offensive).

Otega Oweh ended up being a factor for the Sooners in this matchup. He converted 6 of 10 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and accounted for 5 rebounds. He earned 23 points in his 32 minutes on the court and had 1 assist in the matchup.

Oklahoma has a record of 10-1 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Sooners are shooting 50.1% from the field, which is ranked 15th in the nation. Oklahoma has earned 913 pts on the year (83.0 per game) and they grab 39.8 rebounds per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 14.2 times per game (144th in college basketball) and they are turning it over 13.5 times per contest. The Sooners commit 15.5 personal fouls every game and they shoot 76.8% from the charity stripe.

The Sooners are ranked 27th in the country in PPG given up with 63.1. They are able to force 14.2 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 38.1% from the floor (20th in D-1). The Oklahoma defense gives up 27.1% on shots from 3-point land (62 of 229) and opponents are connecting on 75.0% of their free throw shots. They give up 8.9 assists and 30.1 total rebounds per game, ranking them 8th and 14th in those categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Oklahoma

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