Eastern Kentucky Colonels vs Troy Trojans Prediction, 12/21/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Eastern Kentucky Colonels vs Troy Trojans

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: Trojan Arena in Troy, AL

TV: ESPN+

The Troy Trojans (5-5) will go up against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (4-6) at Trojan Arena on Thursday.

The Eastern Kentucky Colonels faced off with Northern Kentucky and went home with a loss by a final score of 85-75 in their last contest. When talking about fouls, the Colonels ended up finishing with 22 and Northern Kentucky had 15 fouls. They also made 8 of 16 shots from distance. Northern Kentucky shot 77.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 17 of their 22 shots. Furthermore, Northern Kentucky grabbed 29 boards (5 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't have a block. Northern Kentucky totaled 18 assists and had 9 steals in this game. In the matter of the defense, Eastern Kentucky allowed their opponent to shoot 51.7% from the field on 30 of 58 shooting. They also doled out 17 assists for this contest in addition to creating 11 turnovers and earning 6 steals. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 38 with 16 of them being of the offensive sort. From the charity stripe, the Colonels converted 13 of 16 shots for a percentage of 81.3%. Eastern Kentucky finished having earned a 38.9% field goal percentage (28 of 72) and knocked down 6 of their 24 three-point attempts.

Isaiah Cozart is one guy who played a role for the game. He scored 24 points on 11 of 14 shooting. He saw the court for 35 minutes and grabbed 13 rebounds. He ended up shooting 78.6% from the floor but finished the game without an assist.

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Eastern Kentucky will enter this matchup with a mark of 4-6 this season. They average 86.8 points per game (13th in D-1) on 45.8% from the field. The Colonels are hitting 32.3% on shots from beyond the arc (83 of 257) and 62.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Eastern Kentucky is grabbing 45.5 boards per game and has tallied 175 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 72nd in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 13.3 times per game and as a team are committing 16.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Colonels have forced 15.7 turnovers every game while drawing 17.1 personal fouls. They are giving up 38.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 297th in college basketball in opponents points per game (75.9). The Colonels are giving up a field goal percentage of 41.5% (277 of 667) and they concede 38.4 boards per contest as a unit. They rank 173rd in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 136 conceded for the season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Troy Trojans got the victory with a final of 110-63 against Southern University at New Orleans. The Trojans were able to snag 29 defensive boards and 17 offensive rebounds totaling 46 in this contest. They also coughed it up 10 times, while getting 11 steals in this game. Southern University at New Orleans earned 12 personal fouls for this game which got the Trojans to the free throw line for 14 shots. They were able to make 12 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 85.7%. When it comes to shots from beyond the arc, Troy made 14 of their 35 tries (40.0%). When all was said and done, the Trojans finished shooting 42 out of 80 from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.5%. The Trojans allowed Southern University at New Orleans to make 24 out of their 56 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.9% for this contest. They went 37.5% from 3-point land by going 6 of 16 and finished the game at 9 out of 19 at the free throw line (47.4%). In reference to rebounding, Troy permitted Southern University at New Orleans to collect 22 overall (6 on the offensive glass).

Christyon Eugene pitched in for the Trojans for the game. He tallied 19 points in his 27 minutes on the court and had 4 assists for this game. He made 5 out of 9 for the matchup giving him a rate of 55.6%, and added 5 rebounds.

Troy has a record of 5-5 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Trojans are shooting 45.0% from the floor, which is ranked 181st in D-1. Troy has earned 858 pts for the season (85.8 per game) and they average 43.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 16.3 times per contest (56th in the nation) and they are turning it over 14.7 times per contest. The Trojans have committed 20.4 personal fouls every game and they go 71.2% from the free throw line.

The Troy defense gives up 31.9% from downtown (61 of 191) and their opponents are making 67.2% of their free throw shots. They give up 10.6 dimes and 33.4 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 45th and 114th in college hoops. The Trojans are ranked 157th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 69.9. They are forcing 16.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 41.6% from the field (121st in college basketball).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Troy

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