Mississippi State Bulldogs vs North Texas Mean Green Prediction, 12/17/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs North Texas Mean Green

Date: Sunday, December 17, 2023

Location: Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo, MS

TV: ESPN+

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-2) are on their way to Cadence Bank Arena on Sunday where they will meet the North Texas Mean Green (5-4).

The Mississippi State Bulldogs took the court against Murray State and took home the win by a score of 85-81 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Bulldogs walked away with 15 while Murray State recorded 20 fouls. They also knocked down 12 of their 23 attempts from beyond the arc. Murray State finished the game at 76.5% when shooting free throws by burying 13 of 17 attempts. Additionally, Murray State collected 19 rebounds (6 offensive, 13 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Murray State earned 18 assists and had 3 steals in this matchup. Concerning defending, Mississippi State allowed their opponent to shoot 50.9% from the field on 28 out of 55 shooting. They also doled out 19 assists for this game while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and having 5 steals. In the matter of rebounding, they earned a total of 29 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Bulldogs knocked down 24 of their 34 shots for a percentage of 70.6%. Mississippi State ended the contest having earned a 58.7% field goal percentage (27 of 46) and converted 7 out of their 20 three-point shots.

Shakeel Moore is one player who played a role in this contest. He was able to score 16 points on 5 out of 5 shooting. He played 22 mins played and pulled down 1 rebound. He walked away from this one shooting 100.0% from the floor and also earned 2 assists.

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Mississippi State enters this contest with a record of 8-2 for the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.4 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.8 fouls every game. As a team, Mississippi State is collecting 40.7 boards per contest and is sitting with 158 assists this season, which is 79th in the nation in terms of passing. The Bulldogs are connecting on 31.5% on shots from distance (82 of 260) and 71.3% from the free throw line. They are averaging 76.4 points per outing (153rd in the country) on 44.8% from the field.

On defense, the Bulldogs have forced 13.0 turnovers per game while drawing 18.1 personal fouls. They give up 27.7% on shots from downtown and they are 39th in D-1 in PPG allowed (63.9). The Bulldogs are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 38.5% (221 of 574) and they surrender 32.3 rebounds per game as a group. They are ranked 82nd in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 106 relinquished so far this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the North Texas Mean Green walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 60-59 when they faced Fordham. When talking about rebounding, North Texas allowed Fordham to snag 36 in total (11 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 38.1% from beyond the perimeter by going 8 out of 21 and walked away from this one shooting 6 out of 12 from the free throw line (50.0%). The Mean Green permitted Fordham to bury 23 out of their 60 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 38.3% in this game. In all, the Mean Green shot 23 out of 60 from the field which gave them a percentage of 38.3%. With regard to three-point shots, North Texas buried 5 of their 13 attempts (38.5%). They were able to knock down 8 of the free throws for a percentage of 72.7%. Fordham committed 12 personal fouls in this game which took the Mean Green to the charity stripe for 11 shots. They turned it over 13 times, while getting 8 steals for the matchup. The Mean Green pulled down 26 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 37 for this contest.

Jason Edwards ended up having an impact for the Mean Green for this game. He earned 19 points in his 31 mins of playing time, but didn't get an assist. He buried 5 out of 10 in this matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and accounted for 3 rebounds.

North Texas has a win-loss record of 5-4 so far this year. In terms of offensive execution, the Mean Green are connecting on 43.5% from the field, which ranks 248th in the nation. North Texas has totaled 618 pts on the year (68.7 per contest) and they pull down 35.9 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 10.8 times per game (332nd in D-1) and they lose possession via turnover 12.4 times per contest. The Mean Green commit 16.3 fouls per game and they go 77.5% from the charity stripe.

The North Texas defense concedes 31.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter (52 of 164) and opponents are connecting on 68.5% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 9.6 assists and 30.9 rebounds per game, which ranks them 18th and 32nd in the nation. The Mean Green are ranked 5th in college basketball in points allowed per game with 58.4. They are forcing 14.0 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.4% from the field (43rd in college basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Mississippi State

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