FIU Panthers vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Prediction, 2/17/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: FIU Panthers vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, February 17, 2024

Location: Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, LA

TV: ESPN+

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (16-8) will try to defeat the FIU Panthers (8-16) at Thomas Assembly Center on Saturday.

The FIU Panthers faced MTSU and went home with a loss by a final score of 68-66 in their last game. FIU finished the game having earned a 39.1% field goal percentage (27 out of 69) and converted 5 out of their 21 shots from 3-point land. At the charity stripe, the Panthers made 7 of their 11 attempts for a percentage of 63.6%. In regard to pulling down boards, they collected 32 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 9 dimes for the game as well as forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and getting 10 steals. When it comes to the defense, FIU allowed 44.2% from the floor on 23 of 52 shooting. MTSU recorded 7 dimes and had 5 steals for the contest. Additionally, MTSU pulled down 38 rebounds (10 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't have a block. MTSU finished shooting 58.6% at the charity stripe by making 17 of 29 shots. They also converted 5 of their 15 tries from beyond the arc. When discussing personal fouls, the Panthers walked away with 23 and MTSU finished the game with 14 personal fouls.

Arturo Dean is a guy who came through for this game. He shot 35.3% from the field and also totaled 1 assist. He played 23 minutes played and also snagged 8 rebounds. He scored 14 points on 6 of 17 shooting.

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FIU comes into this game with a win-loss record of 8-16 this year. They are giving up possession 14.1 times per game and as a team they commit 18.6 personal fouls every game. As a unit, FIU is pulling down 32.5 boards per game and has earned 355 dimes for the season, which is 114th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Panthers are shooting 34.0% on 3-point shots (208 of 612) and 67.2% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 74.5 points per outing (167th in D-1) while going 43.6% from the field.

On defense, the Panthers are forcing 18.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.1 fouls. They rank 321st in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 364 relinquished on the campaign. The Panthers defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 47.7% (640 of 1,341) and they relinquish 38.3 boards per game as a squad. They give up 38.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 307th in the country in opponents PPG (76.8).

In their last game, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs took a loss by a final score of 65-62 when they played Liberty. The Bulldogs earned 23 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 in the game. They also coughed it up 19 times, while recording 11 steals in this matchup. Liberty committed 12 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for a total of 7 attempts. They were able to convert 4 of those for a rate of 57.1%. In reference to shots from downtown, Louisiana Tech made 4 of their 13 tries (30.8%). When the final whistle was blown, the Bulldogs shot 27 out of 52 from the field which had them sitting at 51.9%. The Bulldogs allowed Liberty to knock down 25 of their 53 tries from the floor which had them shooting 47.2% in the game. They shot 39.1% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 9 out of 23 and ended up shooting 6 of 10 from the charity stripe (60.0%). With respect to rebounds, Louisiana Tech permitted Liberty to collect 21 in all (2 offensive).

Isaiah Crawford was important for the Bulldogs for this contest. He accumulated 19 points in his 39 mins on the court and accounted for 1 assist for this contest. He knocked down 9 out of 12 in this contest for a rate of 75.0%, and accounted for 4 rebounds.

Louisiana Tech has a record of 16-8 for the year. When it comes to offense, the Bulldogs are connecting on 46.0% from the field, which ranks 109th in the nation. Louisiana Tech has scored 1,815 pts on the season (75.6 per game) and they pull down 39.2 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.0 times per contest (203rd in college basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.6 times per contest. The Bulldogs commit 15.6 fouls per game and they shoot 68.9% from the free throw line.

The Bulldogs on the defensive side of the court are 12th in college basketball in points allowed per game with 63.6. They have forced 13.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.0% from the floor (9th in the nation). The Louisiana Tech defense allows 32.5% on three-point shots (155 of 477) and opponents are making 69.9% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 9.9 dimes and 33.1 total rebounds per game, which is 9th and 87th in college basketball.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take FIU

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