Holy Cross Crusaders vs Bucknell Bison Prediction, 1/3/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Holy Cross Crusaders vs Bucknell Bison

Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Location: Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, PA

TV: ESPN+

Sojka Pavilion is the location where the Bucknell Bison (3-10) will take on the Holy Cross Crusaders (3-10) on Wednesday.

The Holy Cross Crusaders stepped onto the hardwood against Elms and took home the win by a score of 88-60 in their last contest. With respect to personal fouls, the Crusaders ended up with 8 and Elms finished the game with 12 personal fouls. They also made 5 out of their 21 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Elms went 100.0% at the charity stripe by making 5 of 5 tries. Moreover, Elms grabbed 23 rebounds (6 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Elms doled out 13 dimes and had 10 steals in this contest. In reference to defense, Holy Cross allowed the other team to shoot 39.1% from the floor on 25 of 64 shooting. They also doled out 23 dimes in this contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 7 turnovers and having 5 steals. Concerning rebounding, they compiled 43 with 16 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Crusaders converted 5 of 11 attempts for a rate of 45.5%. Holy Cross walked away from the game with a 53.8% FG percentage (35 out of 65) and made 13 out of their 29 three-point attempts.

Louth-M Coulibaly is one player who had an impact in the matchup. He ended up going 100.0% from the floor and recorded 3 dimes. He was on the court for 17 minutes and also totaled 7 rebounds. He recorded 14 points on 6 out of 6 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Today

Holy Cross steps onto the court with a record of 3-10 on the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 12.3 times per game and as a squad they commit 15.7 fouls every game. As a unit, Holy Cross is pulling down 33.0 boards per game and is sitting with 156 dimes on the campaign, which has them ranked 284th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Crusaders are connecting on 34.2% on 3-point shots (103 of 301) and 64.0% from the free throw line. They are averaging 66.2 pts per game (335th in D-1) while connecting on 43.4% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Crusaders are forcing their opponents into 8.9 turnovers per game while drawing 13.0 personal fouls. They give up 39.0% on 3-point shots while they are 314th in the country in points per game from their opponents (77.2). The Crusaders defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 46.8% (365 of 780) and they surrender 36.1 boards per game as a unit. They are currently ranked 285th in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 185 surrendered this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Bucknell Bison took a defeat with a final score of 67-58 when they faced St. Peter's. In reference to attacking the glass, Bucknell permitted St. Peter's to grab 27 in total (9 offensive). They wrapped up this game 42.9% from 3-point land by connecting on 6 out of 14 and ended up shooting 17 out of 21 at the free throw line (81.0%). The Bison permitted St. Peter's to bury 22 of 49 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.9% in the matchup. When all was said and done, the Bison ended up shooting 22 for 44 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. When discussing shooting from beyond the arc, Bucknell buried 5 of their 19 attempts (26.3%). They were able to knock down 9 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 69.2%. St. Peter's had 17 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Bison to the free throw line for a total of 13 shots. They also turned it over 11 times, while recording 5 steals for this contest. The Bison earned 16 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds totaling 21 for the game.

Ruot Bijiek ended up being a major contributor for the Bison for this contest. He buried 4 of 6 in this matchup giving him a rate of 66.7%, and added 2 rebounds. He totaled 13 points in his 30 minutes on the hardwood, but left the arena with no assists.

Bucknell has a record of 3-10 for the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Bison are connecting on 42.4% from the floor, which ranks them 281st in D-1. Bucknell has totaled 805 points this year (61.9 per contest) and they grab 28.8 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 11.7 times per game (314th in college basketball) and they are turning it over 13.9 times per contest. The Bison are committing 16.5 personal fouls every game and they shoot 74.7% from the free throw line.

The Bucknell defense gives up 35.6% on 3-pointers (113 of 317) and opponents are making 72.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 15.8 assists and 32.5 total boards per game, which ranks 340th and 68th in those categories on the defensive end. The Bison defensively are ranked 203rd in the country in points allowed per contest with 71.8. They are able to force 10.5 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 46.7% from the field (335th in college basketball).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Holy Cross

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