Cleveland State Vikings vs Youngstown State Penguins Prediction, 3/7/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cleveland State Vikings vs Youngstown State Penguins

Date: Thursday, March 7, 2024

Location: Beeghly Center in Youngstown, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Cleveland State Vikings (19-13) are traveling to Beeghly Center on Thursday where they will compete against the Youngstown State Penguins (22-9).

The Cleveland State Vikings played IUPUI and walked away with a win by a score of 85-66 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Vikings finished with 17 while IUPUI accumulated 15 personal fouls. They also converted 2 out of their 11 shots from distance. IUPUI finished the contest at 66.7% at the free throw line by knocking down 14 of their 21 tries. On top of that, IUPUI snagged 24 rebounds (8 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't notch a block. IUPUI distributed 9 dimes and had 9 steals for this game. In regard to defending, Cleveland State allowed their opponent to shoot 51.0% from the field on 25 out of 49 shooting. They also distributed 16 assists for this contest as well as forcing 19 turnovers and getting 12 steals. When talking about pulling down rebounds, they collected 29 with 10 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Vikings buried 5 of 11 attempts for a rate of 45.5%. Cleveland State finished the game with a 60.0% FG percentage (36 out of 60) and buried 8 of their 20 shots from downtown.

Jayson Woodrich is someone who was a factor for this contest. He ended up finishing with 18 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 21 mins and also pulled down 3 boards. He shot 58.3% from the field and also totaled 2 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Today

Cleveland State heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 19-13 this season. They average 76.2 pts per contest (109th in Division 1) while hitting 45.1% from the floor. The Vikings are shooting 33.6% on three-point shots (211 of 628) and 67.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Cleveland State is collecting 34.9 boards per game and has tallied 424 assists so far this year, which is 118th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 10.4 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 18.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Vikings are forcing 14.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 16.9 personal fouls. They are giving up 30.9% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 216th in D-1 in PPG allowed (73.0). The Vikings defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 45.8% (824 of 1,801) and they relinquish 36.4 boards per game as a unit. They are ranked 266th in D-1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 415 conceded for the year.

For their last game, the Youngstown State Penguins walked away with a victory by a final of 69-55 against Detroit. The Penguins pulled down 29 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 for the game. They turned the ball over 12 times, while getting 3 steals for this contest. Detroit was called for 14 fouls in this contest which took the Penguins to the free throw line for a total of 10 shots. They were able to convert 5 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 50.0%. In the matter of shooting from 3-point land, Youngstown State made 12 out of their 26 attempts (46.2%). When the game finished, the Penguins went 26 for 61 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 42.6%. The Penguins allowed Detroit to convert 22 out of their 64 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 34.4% in the matchup. They finished 20.8% from distance via 5 out of 24 and walked away from this one shooting 6 of 9 at the free throw line (66.7%). When discussing attacking the glass, Youngstown State allowed Detroit to grab 35 overall (11 offensive).

Brandon Rush ended up being a factor for the Penguins in this contest. He earned 18 points in his 27 minutes on the hardwood, but wasn't able to earn an assist. He knocked down 6 of 13 in the game giving him a rate of 46.2%, and totaled 5 rebounds.

Youngstown State has a win-loss mark of 22-9 on the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Penguins are hitting on 45.1% from the field, which ranks 152nd in the nation. Youngstown State has accounted for 2,528 points so far this year (81.5 per contest) and they collect 40.2 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 15.4 times per game (52nd in college hoops) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.0 times per game. The Penguins are committing 16.1 fouls every game and they shoot 77.2% from the free throw line.

The Penguins defensively are ranked 133rd in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 70.5. They are able to force 12.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 41.6% from the floor (60th in college hoops). The Youngstown State defense concedes 32.9% on 3-point attempts (232 of 706) and opponents are making 70.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 14.1 dimes and 34.2 boards per contest, which has them ranked 285th and 148th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Youngstown State

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here