Merrimack Warriors vs Florida Gators Prediction, 12/5/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Merrimack Warriors vs Florida Gators

Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Location: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL

TV: ESPN+

The Florida Gators (4-3) are hosting the Merrimack Warriors (4-5) at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Tuesday.

The Merrimack Warriors faced UMass Lowell and notched a win by a score of 74-68 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Warriors walked away with 15 while UMass Lowell recorded 18 fouls. They knocked down 3 of 11 tries from downtown. UMass Lowell finished 68.4% from the free throw line by converting 13 of 19 tries. Furthermore, UMass Lowell snagged 29 boards (9 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. UMass Lowell earned 12 assists and had 8 steals for the matchup. With regard to the defense, Merrimack allowed the other team to go 46.4% from the field on 26 of 56 shooting. They also dished out 14 dimes for this game as well as forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and having 11 steals. When discussing pulling down rebounds, they earned 32 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Warriors converted 24 of their 29 shots for a percentage of 82.8%. Merrimack walked away from the contest having earned a 40.7% FG percentage (22 of 54) and converted 6 out of their 19 shots from downtown.

Jordan Derkack is one guy who was a major factor in this game. He notched 33 points on 9 of 15 shooting. He saw the court for 36 minutes and also pulled down 5 rebounds. He finished the game at 60.0% from the floor and also dished out 4 assists.

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Merrimack comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 4-5 on the year. They have an average of 71.0 pts per contest (256th in the nation) while connecting on 44.4% from the floor. The Warriors are shooting 26.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (52 of 196) and 73.0% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Merrimack is collecting 34.2 boards per game and has earned 106 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 168th in the nation in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 14.2 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 17.8 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Warriors are able to force 15.4 turnovers per game while drawing 17.3 personal fouls. They rank 340th in the nation in allowing assists with 130 surrendered so far this season. The Warriors defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 41.1% (216 of 526) and they surrender 37.4 boards per game as a team. They are relinquishing 36.0% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 174th in college hoops in points per game allowed (70.6).

When they last stepped on the court, the Florida Gators went home defeated by a final of 82-71 when they faced Wake Forest. Concerning attacking the glass, Florida allowed Wake Forest to collect 28 in all (5 on the offensive glass). They went 37.5% from 3-point land via 6 of 16 and finished the game at 20 of 29 from the free throw line (69.0%). The Gators allowed Wake Forest to knock down 28 of their 57 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 49.1% for the matchup. When all was said and done, the Gators finished 24 for 60 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.0%. When talking about shots from distance, Florida made 8 of their 24 attempts (33.3%). They were able to bury 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 78.9%. Wake Forest committed 17 personal fouls in this contest which took the Gators to the free throw line for a total of 19 attempts. They turned it over 15 times, while recording 9 steals for the contest. The Gators were able to pull down 26 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 in this contest.

Riley Kugel pitched in for the Gators for the contest. He knocked down 9 out of 14 in this contest giving him a rate of 64.3%, and had 5 rebounds. He earned 24 points in his 36 mins on the hardwood, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

Florida has a record of 4-3 for the year. As an offensive team, the Gators are connecting on 47.0% from the floor, which ranks them 88th in the country. Florida has totaled 589 pts for the campaign (84.1 per contest) and they pull in 41.1 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 16.3 times per contest (51st in the country) and they turn it over 13.4 times per contest. The Gators are responsible for committing 19.0 fouls per contest and they shoot 66.1% from the charity stripe.

The Florida defense allows 36.6% on three-point shots (53 of 145) and opponents are converting on 66.9% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 13.7 dimes and 33.7 total boards per game, which has them ranked 265th and 125th in those categories on the defensive end. The Gators on the defensive end are ranked 282nd in college basketball in PPG given up with 75.7. They are able to force 12.4 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 43.3% from the field (223rd in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Merrimack

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