Florida A&M Rattlers vs UCF Knights Prediction, 12/21/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Florida A&M Rattlers vs UCF Knights

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

Addition Financial Arena is the location where the UCF Knights (7-3) will play the Florida A&M Rattlers (2-7) on Thursday.

The Florida A&M Rattlers played Iowa State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 96-58 in their last game. Florida A&M finished the game with a 39.2% FG percentage (20 out of 51) and buried 10 of their 27 three-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Rattlers buried 8 of 14 attempts for a percentage of 57.1%. When discussing rebounding, they compiled 32 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 14 dimes as well as creating 5 turnovers, but didn't notch a steal. In terms of defending, Florida A&M allowed their opponent to shoot 59.3% from the field on 35 of 59 shooting. Iowa State totaled 24 dimes and had 15 steals for the contest. Moreover, Iowa State collected 28 rebounds (4 offensive, 24 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Iowa State finished the game shooting 66.7% from the charity stripe by converting 16 of their 24 tries. They also converted 10 out of their 20 attempts from beyond the arc. When it comes to fouls, the Rattlers finished with 20 and Iowa State recorded 12 fouls.

Keith Lamar is someone who played a role in this contest. He shot 47.4% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist. He played for 33 mins played and collected 8 boards. He notched 27 points on 9 out of 19 shooting.

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Florida A&M enters this contest with a mark of 2-7 on the campaign. They are turning it over 15.0 times per contest and as a group are committing 21.0 fouls every game. As a unit, Florida A&M is pulling down 35.2 rebounds per contest and has tallied 121 dimes this season, which has them ranked 301st in D-1 in terms of passing. The Rattlers are hitting 33.3% on shots from downtown (47 of 141) and 73.4% from the free throw line. They have an average of 66.4 points per game (328th in the nation) while going 41.3% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Rattlers are forcing 12.0 turnovers per game while drawing 13.9 personal fouls. They are giving up 40.4% from 3-point land and they are ranked 359th in college basketball in opponents PPG (84.0). The Rattlers defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 47.1% (253 of 537) and they relinquish 39.9 boards per contest as a unit. They are ranked 173rd in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 136 conceded so far this year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the UCF Knights walked away with a victory by a final of 74-51 when they faced Maine. The Knights corralled 30 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 40 for the game. They gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while recording 4 steals for this game. Maine committed 19 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Knights to the charity stripe for a total of 23 attempts. They were able to convert 14 of the free throws for a rate of 60.9%. In reference to shots from beyond the perimeter, UCF knocked down 8 out of 19 attempts (42.1%). Overall, the Knights ended up going 26 for 56 from the floor which had them at 46.4%. The Knights permitted Maine to convert 22 of their 64 tries from the field which had them shooting 34.4% for this contest. They shot 5.3% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 1 of 19 and finished the contest at 6 of 12 from the free throw line (50.0%). When it comes to team rebounding, UCF permitted Maine to snag 36 in total (11 on the offensive side).

Darius Johnson pitched in for the Knights for the game. He buried 5 out of 6 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 83.3%, and had 2 rebounds. He earned 16 points in his 22 mins on the court and accumulated 3 dimes for this contest.

UCF has a win-loss mark of 7-3 for the year. When it comes to offense, the Knights are hitting on 43.8% from the field, which is 237th in Division 1. UCF has totaled 776 pts on the season (77.6 per game) and they pull down 40.8 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 12.2 times per contest (278th in D-1) and they turn it over 12.5 times per game. The Knights have committed 18.9 fouls every game while shooting 67.4% from the charity stripe.

The Knights on the defensive side of the court are 69th in the nation in points given up per game with 66.0. They are forcing their opponents into 15.8 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 39.0% from the field (34th in college hoops). The UCF defense gives up 31.7% on shots from 3-point land (66 of 208) and their opposition makes 72.5% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 11.2 assists and 34.6 rebounds every game, which ranks them 80th and 172nd in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Florida A&M

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