Lafayette Leopards vs Bucknell Bison Prediction, 3/2/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Lafayette Leopards vs Bucknell Bison

Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024

Location: Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, PA

TV: ESPN+

The Lafayette Leopards (11-19) are en route to Sojka Pavilion on Saturday where they will play the Bucknell Bison (12-18).

The Lafayette Leopards faced off with Navy and went home with a loss by a final score of 62-58 in their last game. Regarding fouls, the Leopards finished with 17 while Navy totaled 15 fouls. They also knocked down 8 out of their 23 shots from long range. Navy ended up shooting 76.9% from the free throw line by making 10 of their 13 shots. Furthermore, Navy grabbed 36 rebounds (13 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Navy recorded 12 dimes and had 3 steals for the contest. With respect to defending, Lafayette let their opponent shoot 33.3% from the field on 22 of 66 shooting. They also doled out 12 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and having 5 steals. In terms of hauling in boards, they compiled 31 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Leopards made 10 of 15 shots for a percentage of 66.7%. Lafayette ended the contest with a 39.6% field goal percentage (21 out of 53) and knocked down 6 out of their 17 shots from distance.

Kyle Jenkins is one guy who was a contributor in this contest. He finished the game at 45.5% from the floor but wasn't able to get an assist. He saw the court for 30 mins and also totaled 5 boards. He racked up 15 points on 5 out of 11 shooting.

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Lafayette heads into this matchup with a record of 11-19 for the year. They average 63.3 points per contest (356th in the nation) while connecting on 41.1% from the field. The Leopards are hitting 31.8% on shots from downtown (214 of 674) and 68.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Lafayette is collecting 33.3 rebounds per game and has earned 392 dimes this season, which ranks 137th in the country in terms of passing. They cough up possession 11.7 times per game and as a unit they are committing 16.3 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Leopards are able to force 11.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 14.8 fouls. They concede 34.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 57th in college hoops in PPG allowed (67.3). The Leopards defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 41.5% (702 of 1,692) and they concede 36.9 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 143rd in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 350 relinquished this season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Bucknell Bison got the win with a final of 68-46 when they played Loyola. With respect to how they attacked the glass, Bucknell allowed Loyola to pull down 31 overall (9 offensive). They finished 26.7% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 4 of 15 and walked away from this one shooting 6 of 9 at the free throw line (66.7%). The Bison allowed Loyola to convert 18 of their 53 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 34.0% for this game. When the final whistle blew, the Bison shot 27 out of 50 from the field which gave them a rate of 54.0%. With respect to shooting from downtown, Bucknell buried 11 of their 27 tries (40.7%). They were able to convert 3 of them for a percentage of 50.0%. Loyola was called for 11 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Bison to the free throw line for 6 attempts. They coughed it up 11 times, while getting 12 steals for this contest. The Bison were able to corral 26 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive boards for a total of 29 for the contest.

Jack Forrest pitched in for the Bison in the matchup. He had 18 points in his 30 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to earn an assist. He converted 8 of 12 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and had 5 rebounds.

Bucknell has a win-loss record of 12-18 for the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Bison are connecting on 43.0% from the floor, which is 277th in Division 1. Bucknell has tallied 1,948 pts this season (64.9 per contest) and they pull in 32.0 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.2 times per game (272nd in college basketball) and they cough up possession 12.6 times per game. The Bison are committing 17.0 fouls per game and they hit 71.2% from the free throw line.

The Bison defensively are ranked 76th in D-1 in points given up per game with 68.1. They are able to force 10.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.2% from the field (160th in D-1). The Bucknell defense allows 33.5% from downtown (232 of 693) and opponents are knocking down 70.8% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 14.6 dimes and 33.6 rebounds every game, ranking them 306th and 117th in D-1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Bucknell

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