Drake Bulldogs vs UNI Panthers Prediction, 2/24/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Drake Bulldogs vs UNI Panthers

Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024

Location: McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, IA

TV: ESPN+

McLeod Center is where the UNI Panthers (15-13) will meet the Drake Bulldogs (23-5) on Saturday.

The Drake Bulldogs took the court against Belmont and took home the win by a score of 84-69 in their last contest. Drake walked away from the contest having earned a 51.7% FG percentage (30 of 58) and made 10 out of their 21 shots from 3-point land. At the charity stripe, the Bulldogs made 14 of their 16 shots for a rate of 87.5%. With respect to grabbing boards, they earned 27 with 4 of them being offensive. They also doled out 16 assists in this matchup while forcing 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In regard to defense, Drake let their opponent shoot 41.3% from the floor on 26 of 63 shooting. Belmont dished out 7 assists and had 3 steals in this contest. Additionally, Belmont collected 34 rebounds (13 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't have a block. Belmont finished 71.4% at the free throw line by burying 10 of 14 attempts. They made 7 out of their 29 attempts from 3-point land. In regard to personal fouls, the Bulldogs finished with 13 and Belmont had 16 personal fouls.

Tucker DeVries is one player who was a major factor for the contest. He notched 21 points on 5 of 16 shooting. He saw the court for 35 mins played and also pulled down 6 boards. He shot 31.3% from the floor and dished out 4 assists.

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Drake enters this one with a win-loss mark of 23-5 for the year. They are averaging 80.1 points per contest (46th in college hoops) while hitting 48.7% from the field. The Bulldogs are hitting 36.7% on shots from downtown (244 of 665) and 75.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Drake is grabbing 34.6 rebounds per game and has accounted for 447 assists on the campaign, which is 20th in college hoops in terms of passing. They turn it over 9.8 times per contest and as a basketball team they are committing 16.0 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Bulldogs are forcing 12.4 turnovers every game while drawing 16.9 fouls. They are currently ranked 30th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 283 conceded on the campaign. The Bulldogs are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.8% (698 of 1,593) and they relinquish 32.3 boards per game as a unit. They are giving up 32.2% from beyond the arc and they rank 99th in college basketball in PPG allowed (68.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the UNI Panthers took a defeat with a final score of 81-73 against Illinois State. The Panthers were able to pull down 15 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 25 for this game. They also turned the ball over 4 times, while getting 9 steals in the matchup. Illinois State committed 18 personal fouls for this contest which got the Panthers to the free throw line for 25 shots. They were able to bury 15 of them for a rate of 60.0%. With regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, UNI converted 4 of their 20 tries (20.0%). When all was said and done, the Panthers ended up going 27 out of 63 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 42.9%. The Panthers allowed Illinois State to bury 27 out of 51 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.9% in this game. They shot 44.4% from 3-point land by shooting 8 of 18 and finished the contest at 19 out of 25 at the free throw line (76.0%). In reference to how they attacked the glass, UNI permitted Illinois State to snag 34 in total (6 on the offensive glass).

Nate Heise was important for the Panthers in this contest. He recorded 20 points in his 33 mins on the court and tallied 3 dimes for the contest. He made 9 out of 13 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 69.2%, and earned 5 rebounds.

UNI has a record of 15-13 on the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Panthers are shooting 45.8% from the field, which ranks them 117th in the nation. UNI has 2,037 pts on the season (72.8 per contest) and they grab 33.3 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 12.5 times per game (243rd in college basketball) and they are turning it over 10.5 times per contest. The Panthers are committing 16.6 personal fouls per game while shooting 71.2% from the free throw line.

The Panthers defensively are ranked 152nd in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 71.0. They are forcing 11.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.6% from the field (239th in college hoops). The UNI defense surrenders 34.8% on three-point shots (224 of 644) and opponents are connecting on 77.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 10.9 assists and 32.9 rebounds per contest, ranking them 36th and 75th in the nation.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UNI

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