Eastern Kentucky Colonels vs Alabama Crimson Tide Prediction, 12/23/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Eastern Kentucky Colonels vs Alabama Crimson Tide

Date: Saturday, December 23, 2023

Location: Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, AL

TV: ESPN+

Coleman Coliseum is the location where the Alabama Crimson Tide (6-5) will compete against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (4-6) on Saturday.

The Eastern Kentucky Colonels faced Northern Kentucky and ended up losing by a score of 85-75 in their last contest. Eastern Kentucky wrapped up the game with a 38.9% FG percentage (28 of 72) and made 6 of their 24 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Colonels converted 13 of 16 attempts for a percentage of 81.3%. In the matter of grabbing rebounds, they collected 38 with 16 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 17 dimes in this matchup while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 6 steals. When it comes to defending, Eastern Kentucky allowed the other team to go 51.7% from the field on 30 of 58 shooting. Northern Kentucky distributed 18 dimes and had 9 steals in this contest. Moreover, Northern Kentucky snagged 29 rebounds (5 offensive, 24 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Northern Kentucky shot 77.3% at the free throw line by converting 17 of their 22 attempts. They also buried 8 out of their 16 attempts from 3-point range. When discussing personal fouls, the Colonels ended up finishing with 22 and Northern Kentucky accumulated 15 personal fouls.

Isaiah Cozart is one player who was a factor in the game. He ended up walking away with 24 points on 11 of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 minutes played and also grabbed 13 boards. He went 78.6% from the field but had no assists at the end of the game.

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Eastern Kentucky enters this contest with a win-loss mark of 4-6 for the season. They average 86.8 points per game (12th in college basketball) while connecting on 45.8% from the field. The Colonels are hitting 32.3% on 3-point shots (83 of 257) and 62.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Eastern Kentucky is grabbing 45.5 rebounds per game and has totaled 175 dimes this year, which has them ranked 97th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 13.3 times per contest and as a group they commit 16.7 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Colonels are able to force 15.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.1 personal fouls. They currently rank 147th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 136 relinquished so far this year. The Colonels are giving up a FG percentage of 41.5% (277 of 667) and they concede 38.4 rebounds per game as a unit. They give up 38.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 297th in college hoops in PPG allowed (75.9).

The last time they took the court, the Alabama Crimson Tide took a loss by a final score of 87-74 when they played Arizona. The Crimson Tide earned 22 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards for a total of 35 for this contest. They also turned it over 17 times, while earning 10 steals in the matchup. Arizona committed 20 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Crimson Tide to the charity stripe for a total of 26 shots. They were able to bury 22 of the free throw tries for a clip of 84.6%. Concerning shots from beyond the arc, Alabama knocked down 8 of their 40 tries (20.0%). Overall, the Crimson Tide walked away from this one shooting 22 out of 65 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 33.8%. The Crimson Tide permitted Arizona to bury 28 out of their 65 tries from the field which had them at 43.1% for this contest. They shot 23.5% from 3-point land by going 4 of 17 and ended up shooting 27 out of 37 at the free throw line (73.0%). With respect to cleaning the glass, Alabama allowed Arizona to grab 44 in total (14 offensive).

Grant Nelson ended up having an impact for the Crimson Tide in the matchup. He recorded 17 points in his 30 mins of playing time and accounted for 2 dimes in the matchup. He buried 5 out of 19 in the matchup giving him a rate of 26.3%, and had 5 rebounds.

Alabama has a mark of 6-5 this year. When it comes to offense, the Crimson Tide are hitting on 47.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 68th in the nation. Alabama has tallied 995 points this year (90.5 per game) and they average 39.2 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 14.9 times per contest (100th in Division 1) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.7 times per game. The Crimson Tide are responsible for committing 20.0 personal fouls per game and they go 78.6% from the charity stripe.

The Crimson Tide defensively are ranked 326th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 78.5. They have forced 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 44.9% from the floor (285th in college basketball). The Alabama defense allows 32.9% on shots from distance (77 of 234) and their opposition knocks down 72.0% of their foul shots. They concede 11.8 assists and 33.6 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 118th and 124th in Division 1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Alabama

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