Long Beach State Beach vs Arizona Wildcats Prediction, 3/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Long Beach State Beach vs Arizona Wildcats

Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024

Location: Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: Long Beach State (+18)

Delta Center is where the Arizona Wildcats (25-8) will compete against the Long Beach State Beach (21-14) on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament. Long Beach State opens this matchup as 18-point underdogs. The total is set at 161.5.

The Long Beach State Beach took the court against UC Davis and took home the win by a score of 74-70 in their last game. Long Beach State finished the game with a 38.6% field goal percentage (27 out of 70) and converted 6 of their 18 three-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Beach converted 14 of 16 tries for a percentage of 87.5%. With regard to pulling down boards, they collected a total of 38 with 12 of them being offensive. They also distributed 13 assists for the game while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In relation to defending, Long Beach State allowed 39.1% from the field on 25 out of 64 shooting. UC Davis recorded 13 assists and had 4 steals for this contest. On top of that, UC Davis snagged 37 rebounds (8 offensive, 29 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. UC Davis walked away from this one shooting 93.3% at the free throw line by knocking down 14 of 15 attempts. They made 6 of their 25 tries from beyond the arc. In reference to fouls, the Beach ended up with 15 and UC Davis accounted for 16 fouls.

Lassina Traore is someone who was a major contributor for this contest. He finished the game shooting 70.6% from the field and distributed 1 assist. He saw the court for 38 minutes played and also pulled down 9 rebounds. He was able to score 25 points on 12 out of 17 shooting.

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Long Beach State comes into this contest with a win-loss mark of 21-14 for the season. They currently have an average of 77.7 points per contest (71st in Division 1) while hitting 44.7% from the field. The Beach are shooting 30.8% on shots from distance (191 of 620) and 71.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Long Beach State is collecting 38.5 boards per game and is sitting with 539 dimes so far this year, which ranks 22nd in the country in terms of passing. They turn it over 12.6 times per game and as a group are committing 17.3 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Beach are forcing their opponents into 13.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.3 personal fouls. They currently rank 358th in college basketball in giving up assists with 542 surrendered so far this season. The Beach defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 43.2% (921 of 2,133) and they relinquish 35.5 boards per contest as a team. They are conceding 34.5% on 3-pointers while they are 287th in college basketball in points per game from their opponents (75.7).

The last time they took the court, the Arizona Wildcats went home defeated by a final of 67-59 against Oregon. In relation to attacking the glass, Arizona allowed Oregon to grab 34 in total (8 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 30.4% from 3-point land by hitting 7 out of 23 and ended up going 10 out of 12 at the free throw line (83.3%). The Wildcats permitted Oregon to bury 25 of 59 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.4% in the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Wildcats finished the game shooting 18 for 47 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.3%. Regarding shooting from downtown, Arizona made 5 out of their 19 attempts (26.3%). They were able to knock down 18 of the free throw tries for a rate of 64.3%. Oregon was called for 19 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Wildcats to the charity stripe for 28 attempts. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while earning 6 steals for this contest. The Wildcats earned 20 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 for the matchup.

Oumar Ballo was important for the Wildcats in this contest. He recorded 14 points in his 31 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He knocked down 5 of 5 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 100.0%, and accounted for 12 rebounds.

Arizona has a win-loss record of 25-8 this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Wildcats are connecting on 48.9% from the floor, which ranks them 14th in D-1. Arizona has accumulated 2,902 points for the campaign (87.9 per contest) and they average 42.6 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 18.6 times per contest (2nd in the country) and they turn it over 12.0 times per game. The Wildcats commit 16.3 personal fouls every game while shooting 71.9% from the charity stripe.

The Arizona defense surrenders 33.4% on 3-point shots (263 of 787) and opponents are converting on 71.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They surrender 13.9 assists and 32.1 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 274th and 34th in those defensive categories. The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 195th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 72.2. They are able to force 13.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.3% from the floor (98th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Arizona (-18)

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