Maine Black Bears vs UCF Knights Prediction, 12/18/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Maine Black Bears vs UCF Knights

Date: Monday, December 18, 2023

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

The UCF Knights (6-3) welcome the Maine Black Bears (8-4) at Addition Financial Arena on Monday.

The Maine Black Bears played Central Connecticut and earned the victory with a final of 69-56 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Black Bears finished with 19 while Central Connecticut recorded 18 fouls. They also knocked down 3 of 14 shots from beyond the arc. Central Connecticut finished the contest at 65.0% at the free throw line by knocking down 13 of 20 tries. Moreover, Central Connecticut grabbed 30 rebounds (6 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Central Connecticut doled out 11 dimes and had 6 steals for this game. In regard to defending, Maine let their opponent shoot 36.4% from the field on 20 out of 55 shooting. They also doled out 13 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and having 8 steals. In relation to pulling down boards, they compiled a total of 36 with 6 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Black Bears made 18 of their 26 shots for a percentage of 69.2%. Maine finished the contest with a 45.1% FG percentage (23 of 51) and converted 5 of their 14 three-point attempts.

Peter Filipovity is one guy who had an impact in this contest. He accounted for 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting. He played for 33 mins played and totaled 8 boards. He finished the game shooting 61.5% from the field but had no assists when the time ran out.

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Maine heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 8-4 this season. They currently have an average of 70.4 points per game (276th in Division 1) while hitting 47.1% from the field. The Black Bears are connecting on 31.1% on shots from downtown (69 of 222) and 73.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Maine is grabbing 31.9 rebounds per contest and has tallied 156 dimes so far this season, which is 120th in the country in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 11.1 times per game and as a team they are committing 16.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Black Bears have forced 14.0 turnovers per game while drawing 15.4 fouls. They are ranked 253rd in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 144 conceded on the campaign. The Black Bears defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 41.9% (276 of 658) and they surrender 34.0 boards per game as a squad. They relinquish 29.6% on 3-pointers and they are 27th in Division 1 in PPG from their opponents (63.2).

When they last stepped on the court, the UCF Knights took a loss by a score of 70-68 when they faced Ole Miss. In relation to rebounding, UCF permitted Ole Miss to pull down 28 in total (6 on the offensive glass). They shot 40.0% from distance by shooting 6 out of 15 and finished the game at 24 of 34 from the free throw line (70.6%). The Knights permitted Ole Miss to knock down 20 of their 45 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 44.4% for the game. When the final whistle was blown, the Knights went 21 out of 57 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 36.8%. In regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, UCF converted 4 out of their 22 attempts (18.2%). They were able to bury 22 of the free throws for a rate of 64.7%. Ole Miss committed 23 fouls in this matchup which got the Knights to the charity stripe for 34 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 13 steals in this contest. The Knights were able to snag 17 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive rebounds totaling 32 in this matchup.

Darius Johnson was important for the Knights for this game. He knocked down 9 of 16 for this contest for a rate of 56.3%, and added 1 rebound. He accumulated 25 points in his 36 mins of playing time and accounted for 3 assists in this game.

UCF has a win-loss record of 6-3 on the season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Knights are connecting on 43.5% from the floor, which ranks 246th in the nation. UCF has accumulated 702 pts on the year (78.0 per game) and they average 40.6 boards per game. They are getting an assist 12.0 times per game (281st in the country) and they are giving up possession 12.9 times per contest. The Knights commit 19.2 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 68.1% from the charity stripe.

The Knights are ranked 106th in the country in points allowed per contest with 67.7. They are forcing their opponents into 16.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 39.6% from the floor (44th in college hoops). The UCF defense surrenders 34.4% on shots from beyond the arc (65 of 189) and their opponents are connecting on 73.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 11.3 assists and 34.1 boards per game, which is ranked 89th and 152nd in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UCF

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