Gardner-Webb Bulldogs vs VCU Rams Prediction, 12/30/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Gardner-Webb Bulldogs vs VCU Rams

Date: Saturday, December 30, 2023

Location: Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, VA

TV: ESPN+

Stuart C. Siegel Center is the location where the VCU Rams (7-5) will meet the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (5-9) on Saturday.

The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs stepped onto the hardwood against Akron and took a loss by a score of 94-90 in their last contest. Gardner-Webb ended the game having earned a 45.5% FG percentage (30 of 66) and made 12 of 30 three-point attempts. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Bulldogs converted 18 of 24 shots for a rate of 75.0%. When discussing rebounding, they earned 32 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 10 assists in this matchup while creating 11 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When discussing the defense, Gardner-Webb allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 29 of 58 shooting. Akron recorded 11 assists and had 3 steals for the game. In addition, Akron collected 36 boards (8 offensive, 28 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Akron walked away from this one shooting 73.2% from the charity stripe by knocking down 30 of their 41 shots. They also made 6 out of their 17 attempts from beyond the arc. With respect to fouls, the Bulldogs walked away with 28 while Akron recorded 17 fouls.

Julien Soumaoro is one player who had an impact in this matchup. He finished shooting 58.3% from the field and also dished out 2 dimes. He played 31 mins and pulled down 2 rebounds. He notched 23 points on 7 of 12 shooting.

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Gardner-Webb comes into this one with a mark of 5-9 so far this year. They turn it over 11.6 times per contest and as a squad they commit 19.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Gardner-Webb is snagging 40.7 rebounds per contest and has earned 164 dimes for the year, which is 190th in college basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Bulldogs are connecting on 31.1% on 3-pointers (103 of 331) and 64.7% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 73.3 points per game (225th in the nation) while shooting 41.4% from the field.

Defensively, the Bulldogs are forcing their opponents into 11.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.9 fouls. They surrender 31.4% from 3-point land while they are 212th in college basketball in points per game from their opponents (71.9). The Bulldogs defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 42.3% (348 of 822) and they concede 37.1 rebounds per contest as a group. They currently rank 240th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 163 conceded so far this year.

In their last game, the VCU Rams took home the win by a final score of 75-51 against Maryland Eastern Shore. The Rams snagged 30 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 39 in this contest. They coughed up the ball 8 times, while getting 8 steals for the game. Maryland Eastern Shore earned 19 fouls for this game which took the Rams to the charity stripe for a total of 22 tries. They were able to convert 14 of them for a rate of 63.6%. When talking about three-point attempts, VCU made 7 of 21 attempts (33.3%). When this game wrapped up, the Rams walked away from this one shooting 27 out of 55 from the field which had them shooting 49.1%. The Rams permitted Maryland Eastern Shore to bury 19 of their 57 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 33.3% for this game. They finished 25.0% from three-point range by connecting on 5 out of 20 and finished the game at 8 out of 15 from the charity stripe (53.3%). With respect to rebounds, VCU permitted Maryland Eastern Shore to collect 28 in all (8 on the offensive glass).

Max Shulga was important for the Rams in the matchup. He buried 4 of 5 in the game for a field goal rate of 80.0%, and tallied 5 rebounds. He had 14 points in his 30 mins of playing time and had 3 assists in the matchup.

VCU has a win-loss record of 7-5 this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Rams are shooting 45.3% from the floor, which is 164th in the nation. VCU has totaled 872 pts this season (72.7 per game) and they pull down 36.7 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 14.0 times per game (154th in college basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.7 times per game. The Rams commit 17.0 personal fouls per contest and they hit 77.3% from the charity stripe.

The VCU defense concedes 29.7% on shots from 3-point land (70 of 236) and their opposition knocks down 70.5% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 10.2 dimes and 32.5 rebounds per game, which ranks 31st and 66th in the nation. The Rams on the defensive end are ranked 69th in Division 1 in PPG allowed with 65.8. They have forced 11.1 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.7% from the field (46th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take VCU

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