Norfolk State Spartans vs UTEP Miners Prediction, 12/20/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Norfolk State Spartans vs UTEP Miners

Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Location: Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Norfolk State Spartans (8-5) are on their way to Don Haskins Center on Wednesday where they will attempt to defeat the UTEP Miners (6-5).

The Norfolk State Spartans faced off with Southern Virginia and notched a win by a score of 108-52 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Spartans walked away with 14 while Southern Virginia accounted for 13 personal fouls. They made 5 out of their 29 attempts from beyond the arc. Southern Virginia walked away from this one shooting 57.9% when shooting free throws by knocking down 11 of their 19 tries. Moreover, Southern Virginia snagged 33 rebounds (12 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Southern Virginia earned 12 assists and had 2 steals for this contest. Pertaining to defending, Norfolk State allowed their opponent to shoot 29.0% from the floor on 18 of 62 shooting. They also doled out 19 dimes for the game while forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and getting 11 steals. In reference to rebounding, they collected a total of 42 with 11 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Spartans made 9 of 14 attempts for a percentage of 64.3%. Norfolk State finished with a 59.5% field goal percentage (44 out of 74) and knocked down 11 of their 27 shots from 3-point land.

George Beale is a player who played a role in this game. He finished 70.0% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist. He was on the court for 15 minutes and also pulled down 1 rebound. He totaled 16 points on 7 out of 10 shooting.

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Norfolk State comes into this game with a mark of 8-5 on the campaign. They are turning it over 10.5 times per game and as a unit are committing 19.7 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Norfolk State is collecting 35.2 boards per game and has 159 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 132nd in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Spartans are shooting 33.5% on 3-point shots (90 of 269) and 74.3% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 75.9 points per outing (165th in the nation) while going 44.6% from the field.

Defensively, the Spartans are forcing their opponents into 16.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.4 personal fouls. They surrender 31.5% on shots from distance while they are 81st in college basketball in PPG allowed (66.8). The Spartans defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 41.1% (278 of 676) and they concede 33.5 boards per game as a team. They are currently ranked 315th in college hoops in giving up assists with 165 relinquished on the year.

When they last played, the UTEP Miners walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 88-82 when they played Abilene Christian. Concerning rebounding, UTEP allowed Abilene Christian to grab 30 overall (5 offensive). They wrapped up this game 46.2% from distance by connecting on 6 of 13 and walked away from this one shooting 34 out of 48 from the charity stripe (70.8%). The Miners permitted Abilene Christian to knock down 24 out of 42 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 57.1% in this contest. Overall, the Miners shot 26 out of 62 from the field which had them shooting 41.9%. Concerning three-point shots, UTEP made 5 out of 15 tries (33.3%). They were able to knock down 25 of them for a clip of 69.4%. Abilene Christian was called for 25 fouls in the matchup which got the Miners to the free throw line for 36 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 15 times, while recording 15 steals for the matchup. The Miners earned 18 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 for this contest.

Tae Hardy ended up being a major contributor for the Miners for this contest. He converted 7 out of 16 for this game for a field goal rate of 43.8%, and had 5 rebounds. He racked up 22 points in his 36 mins of playing time and had 2 dimes for the contest.

UTEP has a record of 6-5 so far this year. The Miners commit 21.5 personal fouls every game and they connect on 66.7% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 16.3 times per game (59th in the nation) and they turn it over 14.7 times per contest. UTEP has 868 points on the season (78.9 per contest) and they collect 36.9 rebounds per contest. As an offensive team, the Miners are shooting 46.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 110th in the nation.

The UTEP defense allows 30.8% on 3-point shots (64 of 208) and their opponents are connecting on 71.6% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 10.9 assists and 34.0 boards every game, which ranks 65th and 145th in college hoops. The Miners are ranked 167th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 70.2. They are forcing their opponents into 18.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 42.9% from the floor (198th in Division 1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UTEP

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