FIU Panthers vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Prediction, 3/2/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: FIU Panthers vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Date: Thursday, March 2, 2023

Location: Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, LA

TV: ESPN+

The FIU Panthers (13-16) are on their way to Thomas Assembly Center on Thursday where they will meet the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (13-16).

The FIU Panthers faced off with UTSA and went home with a loss by a final score of 95-91 in their last contest. In the matter of personal fouls, the Panthers walked away with 23 and UTSA recorded 17 personal fouls. They buried 8 out of their 20 attempts from beyond the arc. UTSA finished 80.6% at the free throw line by making 25 of their 31 attempts. Additionally, UTSA pulled down 34 rebounds (16 offensive, 18 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. UTSA earned 16 assists and had 13 steals in this game. Pertaining to the defense, FIU let their opponent shoot 47.0% from the floor on 31 of 66 shooting. They also recorded 13 dimes for the contest while creating 16 turnovers and having 9 steals. In the matter of pulling down boards, they collected a total of 27 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Panthers made 22 of their 27 attempts for a percentage of 81.5%. FIU wrapped up the game having earned a 51.8% field goal percentage (29 of 56) and converted 11 out of their 18 shots from downtown.

John Williams is a guy who had an impact in this matchup. He ended up scoring 18 points on 7 out of 9 shooting. He played for 19 minutes and pulled down 4 rebounds. He ended up going 77.8% from the field but finished the game without an assist.

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FIU enters this matchup with a win-loss mark of 13-16 this season. They turn it over 15.0 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 17.1 fouls every game. As a unit, FIU is grabbing 31.7 boards per game and has tallied 357 dimes on the campaign, which is 274th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Panthers are connecting on 32.2% on shots from 3-point land (195 of 606) and 70.6% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 72.3 points per game (169th in D-1) on 46.8% from the field.

Defensively, the Panthers are forcing their opponents into 16.4 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.3 personal fouls. They are ranked 249th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 410 conceded on the year. The Panthers defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 44.1% (761 of 1,727) and they relinquish 37.8 boards per contest as a unit. They are conceding 36.1% from beyond the arc and they are 307th in college basketball in points per game allowed (74.6).

In their last game, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs went home defeated by a final of 63-49 when they faced MTSU. The Bulldogs were able to collect 24 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 for the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 7 times, while earning 6 steals in this contest. MTSU had 12 fouls in this matchup which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 10 attempts. They were able to make 8 of the free throws for a rate of 80.0%. In terms of 3-point attempts, Louisiana Tech buried 3 of their 18 tries (16.7%). Overall, the Bulldogs shot 19 out of 69 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 27.5%. The Bulldogs allowed MTSU to make 21 of their 52 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 40.4% in the matchup. They finished the game shooting 32.1% from beyond the arc by connecting on 9 of 28 and finished the game at 12 out of 18 from the free throw line (66.7%). Regarding cleaning the glass, Louisiana Tech permitted MTSU to grab 36 overall (8 on the offensive glass).

Isaiah Crawford ended up having an impact for the Bulldogs for the game. He converted 5 out of 21 in the matchup giving him a rate of 23.8%, and earned 9 rebounds. He racked up 17 points in his 34 minutes of playing time, but wasn't able to get an assist.

Louisiana Tech has a mark of 13-16 for the year. When it comes to offense, the Bulldogs are shooting 44.4% from the field, which has them ranked 202nd in Division 1. Louisiana Tech has accumulated 2,107 points for the season (72.7 per game) and they snag 34.6 rebounds per contest. They are getting an assist 13.0 times per game (182nd in college basketball) and they turn it over 13.4 times per contest. The Bulldogs have committed 17.2 fouls per contest and they go 72.7% from the charity stripe.

The Louisiana Tech defense gives up 36.9% on 3-point shots (244 of 662) and opponents are knocking down 69.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 14.3 assists and 32.7 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 303rd and 96th in college hoops. The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 171st in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 69.6. They are forcing their opponents into 15.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 44.4% from the floor (232nd in the nation).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Louisiana Tech

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