Radford Highlanders vs Bucknell Bison Prediction, 12/16/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Radford Highlanders vs Bucknell Bison

Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023

Location: Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, PA

TV: ESPN+

The Radford Highlanders (8-4) are traveling to Sojka Pavilion on Saturday where they will try to beat the Bucknell Bison (3-7).

The Radford Highlanders faced VMI and went home with a win by a final score of 73-56 in their last contest. When discussing personal fouls, the Highlanders walked away with 12 and VMI had 19 personal fouls. They also knocked down 5 out of their 19 shots from beyond the arc. VMI finished 64.3% at the free throw line by converting 9 of 14 attempts. Additionally, VMI had 39 rebounds (15 offensive, 24 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. VMI dished out 7 assists and had 2 steals for this contest. Pertaining to defense, Radford allowed the other team to shoot 36.8% from the field on 21 out of 57 shooting. They also distributed 14 assists for this contest as well as forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and having 5 steals. When it comes to rebounding, they collected a total of 27 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Highlanders made 12 of 19 tries for a percentage of 63.2%. Radford finished the contest having earned a 45.6% FG percentage (26 out of 57) and buried 9 of their 20 shots from beyond the perimeter.

DaQuan Smith is a guy who was a contributor for this game. He shot 37.5% from the field and also dished out 3 assists. He was on the hardwood for 33 minutes played and snagged 3 boards. He accumulated 19 points on 6 of 16 shooting.

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Radford will enter this game with a mark of 8-4 for the year. They have an average of 75.8 pts per game (162nd in the nation) while hitting 47.1% from the floor. The Highlanders are connecting on 40.1% on three-point attempts (97 of 242) and 73.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, Radford is pulling in 38.1 rebounds per game and has accounted for 148 assists on the year, which ranks 114th in college hoops in terms of passing. They are turning it over 12.4 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 16.9 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Highlanders are forcing 10.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.9 personal fouls. They are ranked 176th in college basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 122 conceded on the campaign. The Highlanders defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 39.7% (285 of 717) and they surrender 34.0 boards per game as a unit. They give up 27.7% on 3-pointers while they are 103rd in college hoops in opponents PPG (67.3).

The last time they took the court, the Bucknell Bison walked away with a victory by a final of 76-67 when they faced Penn State. In reference to how they attacked the glass, Bucknell permitted Penn State to get 24 overall (6 on the offensive glass). They finished 21.1% from three-point range by going 4 out of 19 and ended up going 17 out of 22 from the charity stripe (77.3%). The Bison permitted Penn State to bury 23 out of their 49 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 46.9% for the contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Bison shot 29 out of 50 from the floor which had them at 58.0%. In the matter of shooting from downtown, Bucknell made 10 of 21 attempts (47.6%). They were able to make 8 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 72.7%. Penn State committed 14 personal fouls in this contest which got the Bison to the free throw line for a total of 11 shots. They coughed up the ball 14 times, while earning 10 steals in this matchup. The Bison were able to pull down 19 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive boards for a total of 22 in this game.

Jack Forrest ended up being a major contributor for the Bison in the game. He totaled 23 points in his 36 mins on the hardwood and had 2 dimes for the matchup. He made 8 out of 14 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 57.1%, and had 4 rebounds.

Bucknell has a record of 3-7 for the campaign. The Bison are committing 17.0 fouls per contest and they connect on 72.4% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 11.7 times per contest (292nd in college basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.5 times per game. Bucknell has 632 pts so far this season (63.2 per game) and they snag 28.6 rebounds per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Bison are hitting on 42.1% from the floor, which ranks 288th in college basketball.

The Bison on the defensive side of the court are 231st in college basketball in PPG surrendered with 72.9. They are able to force 11.3 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.2% from the floor (334th in D-1). The Bucknell defense allows 36.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (89 of 247) and opponents are making 68.7% of their free throw shots. They give up 16.3 dimes and 33.9 rebounds per game, which is 347th and 137th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Bucknell

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