Duquesne Dukes vs UMass Minutemen Prediction, 1/3/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Duquesne Dukes vs UMass Minutemen

Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Location: William D. Mullins Memorial Center in Amherst, MA

TV: ESPN+

William D. Mullins Memorial Center is where the UMass Minutemen (9-3) will play the Duquesne Dukes (9-3) on Wednesday.

The Duquesne Dukes stepped onto the hardwood against Cleary and earned the victory with a final of 95-47 in their last game. When discussing personal fouls, the Dukes ended up finishing with 13 while Cleary recorded 12 personal fouls. They knocked down 8 of 25 tries from distance. Cleary ended up going 55.6% when shooting free throws by knocking down 5 of 9 tries. In addition, Cleary grabbed 21 rebounds (5 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Cleary totaled 14 assists and had 7 steals in this matchup. Pertaining to the defense, Duquesne let their opponent shoot 33.3% from the floor on 17 of 51 shooting. They also doled out 21 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 20 turnovers and having 12 steals. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they collected 46 with 18 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Dukes buried 15 of their 18 shots for a percentage of 83.3%. Duquesne finished with a 52.2% FG percentage (36 of 69) and knocked down 8 of 22 3-point shots.

Jimmy Clark is a player who was a major contributor in the matchup. He shot 100.0% from the floor and also dished out 4 assists. He played 23 mins and totaled 1 board. He notched 15 points on 6 out of 6 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Today

Duquesne will play this contest with a win-loss record of 9-3 for the season. They are averaging 77.8 points per contest (119th in D-1) while going 44.7% from the field. The Dukes are hitting 35.0% on three-point attempts (107 of 306) and 71.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, Duquesne is snagging 38.1 boards per contest and has racked up 160 dimes for the campaign, which is 268th in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 11.5 times per game and as a group are committing 17.8 fouls per game.

Defensively, the Dukes are able to force 14.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.2 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 78th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 143 conceded for the year. The Dukes defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.4% (285 of 689) and they surrender 34.5 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They relinquish 35.5% on 3-point attempts while they are 118th in college basketball in PPG allowed (68.1).

The last time they took the court, the UMass Minutemen took home the win by a final score of 79-66 against Siena. When it comes to how they rebounded, UMass permitted Siena to collect 31 overall (13 offensive). They finished 26.3% from beyond the perimeter via 5 out of 19 and walked away from this one shooting 15 of 19 from the free throw line (78.9%). The Minutemen permitted Siena to bury 23 of their 57 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.4% in this matchup. Overall, the Minutemen shot 27 for 61 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.3%. When talking about shooting from distance, UMass made 4 of 14 attempts (28.6%). They were able to convert 21 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 87.5%. Siena was called for 18 fouls in the game which took the Minutemen to the charity stripe for a total of 24 attempts. They also turned the ball over 9 times, while recording 15 steals in this contest. The Minutemen pulled down 19 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 in the game.

Matt Cross was important for the Minutemen for this game. He recorded 24 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 5 dimes for the matchup. He made 7 out of 14 in this game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and totaled 9 rebounds.

UMass has a record of 9-3 this year. The Minutemen have committed 19.9 fouls every game and they hit 68.6% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 18.0 times per contest (18th in Division 1) and they lose possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest. UMass has earned 1,009 pts on the season (84.1 per contest) and they average 38.5 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Minutemen are hitting on 46.9% from the floor, which ranks 85th in the country.

The UMass defense gives up 31.5% on shots from beyond the arc (82 of 260) and their opponents are converting on 73.0% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 11.9 dimes and 35.3 rebounds every game, which ranks them 117th and 198th in college hoops. The Minutemen are ranked 211th in the country in PPG allowed with 72.1. They are forcing 15.6 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.0% from the field (94th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Duquesne

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