Niagara Purple Eagles vs Syracuse Orange Prediction, 12/21/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Niagara Purple Eagles vs Syracuse Orange

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY

TV: ESPN+

The Niagara Purple Eagles (3-6) are traveling to JMA Wireless Dome on Thursday where they will attempt to defeat the Syracuse Orange (8-3).

The Niagara Purple Eagles took the court against NJIT and took home the win by a score of 89-81 in their last game. Niagara ended the game with a 50.8% FG percentage (31 out of 61) and knocked down 7 out of their 18 3-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Purple Eagles knocked down 20 of 22 attempts for a rate of 90.9%. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they collected 37 with 15 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 13 dimes for this contest while forcing 3 turnovers and having 2 steals. Regarding defending, Niagara allowed their opponent to shoot 43.3% from the floor on 29 out of 67 shooting. NJIT distributed 13 dimes and had 3 steals for the game. Furthermore, NJIT snagged 24 rebounds (11 offensive, 13 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. NJIT finished shooting 66.7% from the charity stripe by converting 14 of 21 attempts. They buried 9 of their 22 tries from distance. When discussing fouls, the Purple Eagles ended up with 15 while NJIT finished the game with 19 fouls.

Harlan Obioha is a guy who came through in this game. He accumulated 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting. He was on the court for 31 mins and also snagged 15 boards. He shot 66.7% from the field and also distributed 3 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Tonight

Niagara will enter this contest with a win-loss record of 3-6 this year. They are turning it over 11.0 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 15.4 fouls per game. As a unit, Niagara is pulling in 27.7 rebounds per contest and has racked up 118 assists this season, which ranks 313th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Purple Eagles are connecting on 37.6% on 3-pointers (56 of 149) and 75.3% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 74.0 points per game (211th in college hoops) while hitting 48.0% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Purple Eagles are forcing their opponents into 10.3 turnovers every game and they draw 18.2 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 18th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 98 conceded so far this season. The Purple Eagles defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 48.8% (256 of 525) and they relinquish 29.7 boards per contest as a squad. They concede 38.0% on 3-pointers while they are 296th in the country in PPG from their opponents (75.8).

When they last played, the Syracuse Orange walked away with a victory by a final of 83-63 when they played Oregon. The Orange snagged 25 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 31 for the matchup. They also turned the ball over 18 times, while getting 11 steals for the contest. Oregon committed 19 fouls for the game which took the Orange to the free throw line for a total of 25 shots. They were able to make 18 of those for a percentage of 72.0%. In terms of shooting from distance, Syracuse converted 5 out of their 13 tries (38.5%). When the final whistle was blown, the Orange finished 30 for 53 from the field which had them at 56.6%. The Orange allowed Oregon to make 22 of their 61 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 36.1% for the matchup. They finished 14.8% from downtown via 4 of 27 and ended up shooting 15 out of 22 at the charity stripe (68.2%). With respect to how they attacked the glass, Syracuse allowed Oregon to pull down 25 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Judah Mintz ended up being a major contributor for the Orange in this contest. He racked up 18 points in his 36 mins of playing time and accounted for 5 dimes for this contest. He made 5 out of 11 in this game for a field goal percentage of 45.5%, and had 3 rebounds.

Syracuse has a record of 8-3 this season. As an offensive team, the Orange are connecting on 45.2% from the field, which has them ranked 170th in the nation. Syracuse has scored 855 pts on the year (77.7 per game) and they grab 38.0 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 13.2 times per game (214th in the country) and they are turning it over 12.7 times per contest. The Orange commit 15.1 fouls per game and they go 72.5% from the free throw line.

The Syracuse defense surrenders 28.8% from downtown (78 of 271) and opponents are knocking down 66.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 13.8 dimes and 38.5 boards per game, which has them ranked 269th and 315th in Division 1. The Orange on the defensive end are ranked 165th in college hoops in points given up per game with 70.1. They are forcing their opponents into 15.5 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 41.8% from the floor (137th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Syracuse

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here