Eastern Illinois Panthers vs Iowa State Cyclones Prediction, 12/21/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Eastern Illinois Panthers vs Iowa State Cyclones

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: James H. Hilton Coliseum in Ames, IA

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

The Eastern Illinois Panthers (6-6) are on their way to James H. Hilton Coliseum on Thursday where they will go up against the Iowa State Cyclones (9-2).

The Eastern Illinois Panthers took the court against Blackburn and took home the win by a score of 87-66 in their last contest. Eastern Illinois finished the contest with a 59.4% FG percentage (38 out of 64) and buried 3 of their 8 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Panthers converted 8 of their 14 shots for a rate of 57.1%. When talking about pulling down boards, they earned 29 with 7 of them being offensive. They also doled out 22 dimes for this contest as well as forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and getting 11 steals. In terms of defending, Eastern Illinois let their opponent shoot 44.1% from the floor on 26 out of 59 shooting. Blackburn doled out 12 dimes and had 5 steals in this contest. Furthermore, Blackburn grabbed 29 boards (7 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't have a block. Blackburn finished 55.6% at the charity stripe by knocking down 5 of their 9 tries. They also buried 9 out of their 23 attempts from distance. When discussing fouls, the Panthers ended up with 9 and Blackburn racked up 10 fouls.

Corey Sawyer Jr is one player who played a role in the matchup. He shot 61.5% from the floor and dished out 1 assist. He saw the court for 32 mins and collected 1 rebound. He accounted for 18 points on 8 of 13 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Tonight

Eastern Illinois comes into this game with a mark of 6-6 for the year. They are giving up possession 11.9 times per game and as a squad are committing 16.5 fouls per game. As a unit, Eastern Illinois is pulling in 38.4 boards per game and has earned 178 assists this season, which is 58th in the country in terms of passing. The Panthers are hitting 33.2% on shots from 3-point land (66 of 199) and 72.0% from the free throw line. They are averaging 72.8 pts per contest (237th in D-1) while going 44.8% from the field.

Defensively, the Panthers are forcing 15.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 13.8 personal fouls. They rank 299th in college basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 158 surrendered for the campaign. The Panthers are giving up a shooting percentage of 41.9% (268 of 640) and they concede 32.3 rebounds per game as a group. They are relinquishing 32.1% on 3-point shots while they are 33rd in D-1 in points per game allowed (63.5).

The last time they took the court, the Iowa State Cyclones got the win with a final of 96-58 when they faced Florida A&M. In the matter of team rebounding, Iowa State allowed Florida A&M to get 32 overall (9 on the offensive glass). They shot 37.0% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 10 of 27 and finished the contest at 8 out of 14 from the free throw line (57.1%). The Cyclones permitted Florida A&M to convert 20 out of 51 tries from the field which left them shooting 39.2% in this matchup. When all was said and done, the Cyclones shot 35 out of 59 from the floor which had them sitting at 59.3%. When discussing shooting from 3-point land, Iowa State made 10 of their 20 tries (50.0%). They were able to make 16 of them for a rate of 66.7%. Florida A&M earned 20 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Cyclones to the charity stripe for a total of 24 attempts. They also gave up possession 5 times, while getting 15 steals for the matchup. The Cyclones were able to pull down 24 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds totaling 28 for the game.

Tamin Lipsey pitched in for the Cyclones for the contest. He buried 7 of 13 for the matchup giving him a rate of 53.8%, and had 3 rebounds. He earned 19 points in his 31 mins on the hardwood and added 5 assists in this contest.

Iowa State has a mark of 9-2 on the year. The Cyclones are committing 16.0 personal fouls every game and they go 68.9% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 18.5 times per contest (14th in the nation) and they cough up possession 11.1 times per game. Iowa State has earned 956 points this year (86.9 per contest) and they collect 37.6 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Cyclones are shooting 51.1% from the floor, which is ranked 10th in college basketball.

The Iowa State defense surrenders 34.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter (87 of 254) and their opposition makes 73.0% of their free throw shots. They surrender 10.9 assists and 30.2 boards every game, which has them ranked 65th and 21st in those categories. The Cyclones on the defensive end are ranked 5th in D-1 in points given up per game with 59.1. They have forced 19.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 37.4% from the floor (9th in college basketball).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Eastern Illinois

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here