Air Force Falcons vs California Golden Bears Prediction, 11/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Air Force Falcons vs California Golden Bears

Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024

Location: Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, CA

TV: ESPN+

The California Golden Bears (3-1) host the Air Force Falcons (1-3) at Haas Pavilion on Thursday.

The Air Force Falcons faced Belmont and ended up losing by a score of 79-71 in their last contest. Air Force ended having earned a 46.3% field goal percentage (25 out of 54) and knocked down 7 of 25 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Falcons buried 14 of their 22 shots for a rate of 63.6%. When discussing rebounding, they earned a total of 28 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 22 assists for this game as well as forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Regarding defense, Air Force allowed 43.6% from the field on 24 of 55 shooting. Belmont distributed 18 dimes and had 2 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Belmont collected 36 rebounds (12 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Belmont ended up going 75.0% from the charity stripe by converting 18 of their 24 attempts. They made 13 of 31 tries from beyond the perimeter. In regard to fouls, the Falcons finished with 21 and Belmont recorded 23 fouls.

Caleb Walker is a guy who was a contributor for this game. He finished shooting 83.3% from the floor and earned 1 assist. He saw the court for 22 mins and also pulled down 6 rebounds. He accounted for 17 points on 5 of 6 shooting.

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Air Force comes into this matchup with a mark of 1-3 on the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 11.3 times per game and as a group they are committing 17.3 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Air Force is collecting 29.8 boards per contest and has totaled 64 assists this year, which has them ranked 164th in the nation in terms of passing. The Falcons are shooting 31.4% on shots from downtown (32 of 102) and 68.7% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 63.8 pts per contest (336th in the country) on 43.0% from the field.

Defensively, the Falcons are forcing their opponents into 9.5 turnovers per game and they draw 22.0 personal fouls. They rank 162nd in Division 1 in giving up assists with 51 conceded for the year. The Falcons defense is allowing a FG percentage of 43.0% (96 of 223) and they relinquish 35.8 boards per game as a unit. They surrender 40.8% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 185th in college hoops in points per game allowed (70.5).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the California Golden Bears went home victorious with a score of 71-66 against USC. The Golden Bears pulled down 23 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 30 for the game. They also turned it over 13 times, while getting 4 steals for the game. USC was called for 16 personal fouls for this game which got the Golden Bears to the charity stripe for 13 attempts. They were able to make 10 of the free throws for a rate of 76.9%. Pertaining to 3-pointers, California knocked down 7 of their 21 attempts (33.3%). In all, the Golden Bears finished shooting 27 out of 55 from the floor which had them sitting at 49.1%. The Golden Bears allowed USC to convert 25 of their 57 attempts from the field which had them at 43.9% in this game. They went 28.6% from 3-point land by going 6 out of 21 and ended up shooting 10 of 14 at the free throw line (71.4%). In regard to team rebounding, California allowed USC to snag 27 in all (7 offensive).

Andrej Stojakovic ended up being a major contributor for the Golden Bears for this game. He racked up 20 points in his 32 mins on the hardwood and accounted for 2 dimes in this matchup. He buried 7 out of 11 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 63.6%, and tallied 5 rebounds.

California has a win-loss record of 3-1 this season. The Golden Bears commit 16.8 fouls per game while shooting 75.5% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 10.0 times per game (341st in Division 1) and they are turning it over 13.5 times per contest. California has totaled 317 pts this season (79.3 per contest) and they grab 38.3 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Golden Bears are connecting on 45.3% from the floor, which is 188th in college hoops.

The Golden Bears defensively are ranked 239th in D-1 in points given up per game with 74.3. They are forcing 13.3 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 44.5% from the field (262nd in college hoops). The California defense gives up 36.4% on shots from beyond the arc (32 of 88) and their opponents are connecting on 67.1% of their free throw shots. They have given up 11.5 dimes and 33.5 boards every game, which ranks them 127th and 137th in the nation.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take California

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