Maine Black Bears vs FIU Panthers Prediction, 12/21/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Maine Black Bears vs FIU Panthers

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami, FL

TV: ESPN+

The FIU Panthers (4-8) will compete against the Maine Black Bears (8-5) at Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Thursday.

The Maine Black Bears took the court against UCF and went home with a loss by a final score of 74-51 in their last contest. Maine ended the contest with a 34.4% FG percentage (22 of 64) and made 1 of their 19 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Black Bears made 6 of 12 attempts for a percentage of 50.0%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 36 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 10 assists for the game as well as forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and having 7 steals. In relation to defense, Maine allowed 46.4% from the floor on 26 of 56 shooting. UCF doled out 14 assists and had 4 steals for the matchup. In addition, UCF collected 40 rebounds (10 offensive, 30 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. UCF finished the contest at 60.9% when shooting free throws by converting 14 of their 23 shots. They made 8 of their 19 tries from distance. In reference to personal fouls, the Black Bears walked away with 19 while UCF accounted for 16 personal fouls.

Logan Carey is a guy who came through in this game. He ended up scoring 9 points on 4 out of 9 shooting. He saw the court for 18 mins and also snagged 7 rebounds. He went 44.4% from the floor and recorded 1 assist.

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Maine steps onto the court with a win-loss mark of 8-5 this season. They have an average of 68.9 pts per game (297th in the nation) while shooting 46.0% from the floor. The Black Bears are hitting 29.0% on shots from beyond the arc (70 of 241) and 72.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Maine is pulling in 32.5 rebounds per contest and has tallied 166 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 103rd in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.9 times per contest and as a squad are committing 16.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Black Bears are forcing 13.6 turnovers every game while drawing 15.5 fouls. They surrender 30.6% from 3-point land and they rank 37th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (64.0). The Black Bears are giving up a FG percentage of 42.3% (302 of 714) and they relinquish 34.7 boards per game as a group. They are ranked 299th in the country in giving up assists with 158 surrendered so far this season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the FIU Panthers walked away with a victory by a final of 146-55 against Trinity. The Panthers were able to corral 47 defensive rebounds and 20 offensive boards for a total of 67 in the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 17 times, while earning 13 steals for the game. Trinity committed 16 fouls for the contest which got the Panthers to the free throw line for 21 attempts. They were able to bury 17 of those for a percentage of 81.0%. In reference to 3-point shots, FIU knocked down 19 out of 35 tries (54.3%). When the game finished, the Panthers shot 55 out of 86 from the field which gave them a rate of 64.0%. The Panthers allowed Trinity to bury 15 of their 65 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 23.1% for this contest. They finished 16.7% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 4 out of 24 and walked away from this one shooting 21 out of 31 from the free throw line (67.7%). Regarding how they cleaned up the glass, FIU permitted Trinity to snag 16 in total (4 on the offensive side).

Jaidon Lipscomb ended up being a factor for the Panthers for this contest. He knocked down 9 out of 11 for the matchup giving him a rate of 81.8%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. He accumulated 23 points in his 16 mins on the court and added 1 assist for this contest.

FIU has a record of 4-8 on the campaign. The Panthers commit 19.6 fouls per game and they shoot 66.7% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.9 times per game (67th in college basketball) and they are giving up possession 16.5 times per game. FIU has totaled 926 points for the season (77.2 per contest) and they collect 33.8 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Panthers are hitting on 45.6% from the floor, which ranks them 146th in D-1.

The Panthers are ranked 291st in D-1 in PPG given up with 75.4. They are able to force 19.4 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 47.1% from the floor (335th in college basketball). The FIU defense gives up 33.5% on 3-point attempts (88 of 263) and their opponents are knocking down 68.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They have given up 14.0 dimes and 36.7 boards every game, ranking them 281st and 260th in the country.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take FIU

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