Ohio State Buckeyes vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, 12/16/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs UCLA Bruins

Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023

Location: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA

TV: CBS

The Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2) are en route to State Farm Arena on Saturday where they will take on the UCLA Bruins (5-3).

The Ohio State Buckeyes stepped onto the hardwood against Penn State and ended up losing by a score of 83-80 in their last contest. Ohio State ended having earned a 45.0% field goal percentage (27 of 60) and made 11 out of their 26 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the charity stripe, the Buckeyes buried 15 of their 22 shots for a rate of 68.2%. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they earned 41 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 21 assists for the contest while forcing 8 turnovers and earning 2 steals. In relation to the defense, Ohio State allowed the other team to shoot 47.7% from the floor on 31 out of 65 shooting. Penn State doled out 11 assists and had 10 steals in the matchup. On top of that, Penn State collected 30 rebounds (12 offensive, 18 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Penn State ended up going 57.9% from the charity stripe by burying 11 of 19 attempts. They converted 10 of their 24 tries from beyond the arc. When talking about fouls, the Buckeyes finished with 18 and Penn State recorded 18 fouls.

Bruce Thornton is one guy who was a factor for the matchup. He was able to score 17 points on 4 out of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 32 mins and also pulled down 1 rebound. He finished the contest at 36.4% from the floor and also totaled 4 assists.

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Ohio State enters this one with a win-loss mark of 8-2 so far this season. They are averaging 80.8 points per contest (67th in the country) while going 47.2% from the floor. The Buckeyes are shooting 40.4% on three-point attempts (88 of 218) and 76.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Ohio State is collecting 38.6 boards per game and has accounted for 161 dimes for the year, which ranks 67th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 11.0 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 17.2 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Buckeyes have forced 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.8 fouls. They are currently ranked 47th in the nation in giving up assists with 98 conceded for the campaign. The Buckeyes defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 42.4% (246 of 580) and they surrender 31.7 rebounds per game as a squad. They give up 34.1% from 3-point land and they are 101st in college hoops in points per game allowed (67.3).

For their last game, the UCLA Bruins took a loss by a score of 65-56 when they faced Villanova. When talking about cleaning up the glass, UCLA allowed Villanova to snag 39 overall (13 offensive). They shot 31.4% from three-point range by shooting 11 of 35 and finished the contest at 16 of 21 at the charity stripe (76.2%). The Bruins allowed Villanova to knock down 19 of their 58 attempts from the field which had them shooting 32.8% in the game. When the final whistle was blown, the Bruins went 22 out of 60 from the field which had them at 36.7%. Pertaining to shooting from downtown, UCLA converted 7 of 19 attempts (36.8%). They were able to make 5 of them for a percentage of 83.3%. Villanova earned 12 personal fouls for this contest which took the Bruins to the charity stripe for 6 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while getting 4 steals for this game. The Bruins were able to pull down 23 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 32 for this contest.

Lazar Stefanovic ended up being a factor for the Bruins in the matchup. He buried 5 out of 19 in this matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 26.3%, and had 9 rebounds. He earned 14 points in his 38 minutes on the court and had 3 assists in this matchup.

UCLA has a record of 5-3 this season. As an offensive team, the Bruins are hitting on 44.6% from the field, which is ranked 198th in college basketball. UCLA has totaled 553 points on the year (69.1 per contest) and they pull in 36.6 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.5 times per game (191st in Division 1) and they turn it over 11.4 times per contest. The Bruins are committing 18.4 personal fouls every game while shooting 74.5% from the charity stripe.

The UCLA defense gives up 30.7% on 3-point attempts (67 of 218) and opponents are knocking down 67.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 10.3 assists and 29.9 rebounds per game, which is 40th and 17th in those categories on the defensive end. The Bruins on the defensive end are ranked 6th in college basketball in PPG given up with 58.8. They are able to force 12.9 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 36.5% from the field (6th in college basketball).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Ohio State

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