Bradley Braves vs Cincinnati Bearcats Prediction, 3/23/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Bradley Braves vs Cincinnati Bearcats

Date: Saturday, March 23, 2024

Location: Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Bradley (+5)

The Cincinnati Bearcats (21-14) will try to defeat the Bradley Braves (23-11) at Fifth Third Arena on Saturday in the NIT. Cincinnati opens this game as 5-point favorites. The betting total comes in at 142.

The Bradley Braves stepped onto the hardwood against Loyola and took home the win by a score of 74-62 in their last contest. Bradley wrapped up the game with a 49.0% field goal percentage (25 out of 51) and made 4 out of their 15 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Braves made 20 of 25 attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. In relation to hauling in boards, they earned a total of 33 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 12 assists for this game while creating 12 turnovers and having 6 steals. When discussing defense, Bradley allowed their opponent to shoot 37.1% from the floor on 23 out of 62 shooting. Loyola earned 8 dimes and had 7 steals in this game. Additionally, Loyola pulled down 35 rebounds (14 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Loyola went 58.8% from the free throw line by knocking down 10 of 17 attempts. They converted 6 of their 25 attempts from long range. With respect to personal fouls, the Braves ended up finishing with 15 while Loyola had 19 personal fouls.

Duke Deen is a guy who played a role for the matchup. He finished shooting 42.9% from the floor and dished out 4 assists. He played for 32 mins and grabbed 4 rebounds. He accounted for 18 points on 6 out of 14 shooting.

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Bradley comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 23-11 this year. They average 74.6 points per game (151st in college basketball) while hitting 47.5% from the field. The Braves are hitting 37.1% from downtown (301 of 812) and 72.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, Bradley is collecting 34.7 boards per game and has accounted for 453 dimes on the campaign, which is 131st in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 12.1 times per game and as a squad they are committing 16.7 fouls every game.

On defense, the Braves have forced 12.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 15.6 fouls. They are relinquishing 32.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 45th in college basketball in opponents points per game (66.9). The Braves defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 40.9% (776 of 1,896) and they relinquish 32.8 boards per contest as a team. They are ranked 89th in D-1 in giving up assists with 386 relinquished this season.

When they last played, the Cincinnati Bearcats took home the win by a final score of 73-72 when they played San Francisco. The Bearcats were able to pull down 27 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 37 in the matchup. They also turned it over 12 times, while recording 3 steals in this game. San Francisco committed 14 personal fouls in the game which got the Bearcats to the free throw line for a total of 14 shots. They were able to knock down 10 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 71.4%. Pertaining to 3-point attempts, Cincinnati made 11 of 30 attempts (36.7%). When the final whistle blew, the Bearcats went 26 out of 66 from the field which gave them a percentage of 39.4%. The Bearcats allowed San Francisco to make 28 of their 66 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.4% for the contest. They went 40.9% from three-point range by shooting 9 out of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 7 out of 11 from the charity stripe (63.6%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, Cincinnati allowed San Francisco to get 36 in total (6 offensive).

Simas Lukosius pitched in for the Bearcats for the matchup. He scored 28 points in his 37 mins of playing time and earned 2 assists in this matchup. He converted 9 of 15 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 60.0%, but wasn't able to grab a rebound.

Cincinnati has a mark of 21-14 for the campaign. The Bearcats commit 15.1 fouls every game and they hit 69.3% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 14.8 times per contest (83rd in the country) and they turn the ball over 12.1 times per game. Cincinnati has accumulated 2,610 points so far this season (74.6 per contest) and they collect 39.5 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Bearcats are connecting on 44.0% from the field, which ranks them 224th in college hoops.

The Cincinnati defense surrenders 33.6% on 3-point shots (233 of 694) and their opponents are making 75.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 12.9 assists and 32.1 total boards per game, which is ranked 179th and 39th in college basketball. The Bearcats on the defensive side of the court are 69th in college basketball in points given up per game with 68.0. They are forcing their opponents into 12.2 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.9% from the floor (68th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Cincinnati (-5)

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