Sacred Heart Pioneers vs Providence Friars Prediction, 12/16/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Sacred Heart Pioneers vs Providence Friars

Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023

Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, RI

TV: ESPN+

The Providence Friars (8-2) will take on the Sacred Heart Pioneers (4-7) at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Saturday.

The Sacred Heart Pioneers faced Fairfield and went home with a loss by a final score of 67-57 in their last game. Sacred Heart ended with a 35.2% field goal percentage (19 out of 54) and converted 5 of their 21 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Pioneers knocked down 14 of 18 shots for a percentage of 77.8%. In regard to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 26 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 11 dimes in this matchup in addition to creating 15 turnovers and having 10 steals. In regard to defending, Sacred Heart allowed the other team to go 40.0% from the field on 20 of 50 shooting. Fairfield distributed 12 assists and had 6 steals in this game. Furthermore, Fairfield pulled down 34 rebounds (7 offensive, 27 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Fairfield went 86.4% from the charity stripe by converting 19 of 22 tries. They also converted 8 of 20 tries from downtown. When it comes to fouls, the Pioneers finished with 17 and Fairfield recorded 15 fouls.

Raymond Espinal-Guzman is someone who was a major factor for the matchup. He finished the contest at 62.5% from the floor but didn't record an assist. He played for 14 minutes played and also collected 5 boards. He was able to score 11 points on 5 out of 8 shooting.

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Sacred Heart enters this matchup with a win-loss mark of 4-7 so far this season. They are averaging 71.8 points per game (249th in college hoops) while shooting 41.8% from the field. The Pioneers are hitting 33.9% from downtown (76 of 224) and 68.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Sacred Heart is snagging 36.6 rebounds per game and has earned 121 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 255th in D-1 in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 13.1 times per contest and as a unit they commit 17.7 fouls per contest.

On defense, the Pioneers are forcing 15.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.4 fouls. They are 340th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 165 surrendered so far this year. The Pioneers defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.2% (287 of 665) and they surrender 39.3 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They give up 34.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 234th in the nation in PPG from their opponents (73.0).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Providence Friars got the victory with a final of 74-54 when they played Brown. The Friars corralled 28 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 for this game. They also turned the ball over 17 times, while earning 7 steals for this game. Brown earned 16 fouls in this contest which took the Friars to the charity stripe for a total of 17 attempts. They were able to knock down 14 of them for a rate of 82.4%. With regard to shots from 3-point land, Providence converted 8 of their 24 tries (33.3%). Overall, the Friars finished the game shooting 26 for 51 from the floor which had them shooting 51.0%. The Friars permitted Brown to convert 20 of 52 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 38.5% for the contest. They finished 38.9% from distance by shooting 7 of 18 and ended up going 7 of 11 from the free throw line (63.6%). Regarding cleaning the glass, Providence permitted Brown to grab 22 in all (3 on the offensive side).

Devin Carter was important for the Friars in this matchup. He totaled 18 points in his 30 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 1 assist for the matchup. He buried 5 of 10 in this game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and had 5 rebounds.

Providence has a win-loss mark of 8-2 this year. The Friars commit 15.1 personal fouls every game and they hit 70.3% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 14.0 times per contest (161st in college basketball) and they turn it over 14.0 times per contest. Providence has totaled 743 points so far this year (74.3 per game) and they pull down 38.3 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Friars are shooting 46.8% from the field, which is ranked 103rd in the nation.

The Providence defense surrenders 31.4% on shots from distance (60 of 191) and opponents are converting on 77.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 8.8 assists and 34.2 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 7th and 157th in those categories. The Friars on the defensive end are ranked 33rd in college basketball in PPG given up with 63.5. They are forcing 13.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 37.7% from the field (16th in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Sacred Heart

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