Bucknell Bison vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction, 12/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Bucknell Bison vs Gonzaga Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, WA

TV: ESPN+

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (8-3) will try to beat the Bucknell Bison (4-7) at McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday.

The Bucknell Bison played Radford and took a loss by a final of 74-70 in their last game. When discussing personal fouls, the Bison ended up finishing with 30 while Radford had 27 personal fouls. They also buried 5 of their 18 attempts from beyond the arc. Radford finished the contest at 63.9% at the free throw line by converting 23 of their 36 shots. On top of that, Radford grabbed 47 rebounds (15 offensive, 32 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Radford doled out 13 dimes and had 6 steals in this game. When it comes to defense, Bucknell allowed 39.0% from the floor on 23 out of 59 shooting. They also recorded 9 dimes in this contest as well as creating 13 turnovers and earning 6 steals. With respect to rebounding, they collected 34 with 11 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Bison buried 21 of their 33 attempts for a rate of 63.6%. Bucknell ended the contest with a 36.2% FG percentage (21 out of 58) and converted 7 of their 30 shots from beyond the arc.

Achile Spadone is one player who played a role for this contest. He shot 75.0% from the floor but had no assists when the time ran out. He played 41 minutes and snagged 4 rebounds. He recorded 22 points on 6 out of 8 shooting.

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Bucknell will enter this matchup with a mark of 4-7 so far this season. They are turning it over 14.7 times per game and as a team are committing 19.6 fouls per contest. As a unit, Bucknell is pulling in 35.5 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 144 dimes on the year, which is 255th in the country in terms of passing. The Bison are shooting 29.9% on three-point attempts (82 of 274) and 62.9% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 70.6 points per game (285th in D-1) while going 42.9% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Bison are able to force 12.7 turnovers every game and they draw 21.1 personal fouls. They are surrendering 33.0% on 3-point shots and they are 286th in college hoops in points per game from their opponents (75.6). The Bison are giving up a shooting percentage of 42.5% (290 of 683) and they concede 38.5 boards per game as a squad. They currently rank 200th in the nation in allowing assists with 148 surrendered so far this season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Gonzaga Bulldogs got the victory with a final of 102-72 against Nicholls State. The Bulldogs recorded 35 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 39 in this game. They also coughed up the ball 14 times, while getting 6 steals in the game. Nicholls State earned 22 personal fouls in this game which took the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 27 tries. They were able to make 24 of the free throws for a clip of 88.9%. When talking about shooting from distance, Gonzaga made 8 out of their 17 attempts (47.1%). When all was said and done, the Bulldogs shot 35 for 54 from the field which had them at 64.8%. The Bulldogs permitted Nicholls State to make 27 of their 75 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 36.0% in this game. They shot 30.3% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 10 of 33 and ended up going 8 of 11 at the free throw line (72.7%). In the matter of how they rebounded, Gonzaga permitted Nicholls State to snag 22 in total (7 offensive).

Braden Huff ended up having an impact for the Bulldogs in this matchup. He knocked down 11 out of 12 in the game for a rate of 91.7%, and had 6 rebounds. He accumulated 25 points in his 20 mins on the hardwood and totaled 2 dimes in the matchup.

Gonzaga has a record of 8-3 on the campaign. As an offensive team, the Bulldogs are connecting on 49.7% from the field, which is ranked 26th in the country. Gonzaga has accumulated 985 points this year (89.5 per game) and they grab 40.9 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 19.3 times per game (8th in Division 1) and they are turning it over 9.6 times per contest. The Bulldogs have committed 16.5 fouls every game while shooting 81.7% from the free throw line.

The Bulldogs are ranked 144th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 69.8. They are forcing their opponents into 12.2 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 40.8% from the floor (86th in college). The Gonzaga defense allows 25.2% on shots from distance (68 of 270) and their opponents are knocking down 75.9% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 12.1 dimes and 32.3 boards every game, which has them ranked 115th and 75th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Gonzaga

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