Appalachian State Mountaineers vs South Alabama Jaguars Prediction, 1/4/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Appalachian State Mountaineers vs South Alabama Jaguars

Date: Thursday, January 4, 2024

Location: Mitchell Center in Mobile, AL

TV: ESPN+

The South Alabama Jaguars (8-5) will try to defeat the Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-3) at Mitchell Center on Thursday.

The Appalachian State Mountaineers faced off with UL Monroe and went home with a win by a final score of 67-55 in their last contest. Appalachian State finished having earned a 41.7% FG percentage (25 of 60) and buried 4 of their 27 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Mountaineers made 13 of their 16 attempts for a percentage of 81.3%. In reference to pulling down boards, they earned 37 with 10 of them being offensive. They also recorded 15 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 11 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When discussing defending, Appalachian State allowed 37.1% from the field on 23 of 62 shooting. UL Monroe doled out 13 assists and had 6 steals for this contest. Furthermore, UL Monroe collected 34 rebounds (10 offensive, 24 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. UL Monroe finished the game at 38.5% from the free throw line by knocking down 5 of 13 attempts. They knocked down 4 of 11 shots from beyond the arc. When talking about fouls, the Mountaineers ended up finishing with 11 and UL Monroe recorded 16 fouls.

Donovan Gregory is someone who came through in this matchup. He finished the game at 70.0% from the floor and earned 3 dimes. He played 28 minutes played and also totaled 6 rebounds. He totaled 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting.

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Appalachian State comes into this one with a win-loss mark of 10-3 on the campaign. They are averaging 78.6 pts per game (91st in the nation) while shooting 46.7% from the field. The Mountaineers are hitting 30.2% on three-point attempts (95 of 315) and 67.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, Appalachian State is snagging 42.5 rebounds per game and has earned 207 assists on the year, which ranks 86th in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 9.6 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 14.5 personal fouls per game.

Defensively, the Mountaineers have forced 11.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.2 personal fouls. They relinquish 30.0% on 3-point attempts and they are 25th in the nation in points per game allowed (63.3). The Mountaineers defense is allowing a FG percentage of 36.3% (296 of 815) and they surrender 37.5 boards per contest as a group. They are currently ranked 29th in college basketball in allowing assists with 133 relinquished on the year.

In their last game, the South Alabama Jaguars walked away with a victory by a final of 61-59 when they faced Old Dominion. The Jaguars snagged 31 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 35 in this contest. They also turned it over 16 times, while earning 5 steals in the game. Old Dominion had 11 personal fouls for the contest which got the Jaguars to the charity stripe for a total of 8 shots. They were able to knock down 6 of the free throws for a rate of 75.0%. With regard to three-point attempts, South Alabama converted 9 of their 24 attempts (37.5%). Overall, the Jaguars shot 23 for 58 from the floor which had them shooting 39.7%. The Jaguars permitted Old Dominion to convert 26 out of their 68 tries from the floor which had them shooting 38.2% in the game. They shot 13.3% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 2 of 15 and finished the contest at 5 out of 9 at the free throw line (55.6%). In regard to rebounds, South Alabama permitted Old Dominion to pull down 38 overall (11 on the offensive glass).

Isiah Gaiter ended up being a major contributor for the Jaguars for the contest. He made 7 of 16 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 43.8%, and had 6 rebounds. He earned 16 points in his 36 minutes on the court and added 7 assists in this contest.

South Alabama has a mark of 8-5 on the season. The Jaguars are committing 17.3 personal fouls per game and they hit 73.7% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 10.8 times per game (337th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.7 times per game. South Alabama has tallied 954 pts so far this year (73.4 per game) and they pull down 34.7 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Jaguars are shooting 43.2% from the floor, which is 265th in college basketball.

The South Alabama defense concedes 29.5% on 3-point shots (82 of 278) and their opponents are converting on 67.7% of their free throw attempts. They allow 11.0 assists and 38.5 total boards per game, which is 69th and 318th in the country. The Jaguars defensively are ranked 242nd in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 73.4. They have forced 12.1 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 43.8% from the field (240th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Appalachian State

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