Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Memphis Tigers Prediction, 12/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Memphis Tigers

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: FedExForum in Memphis, TN

TV: ESPN+

FedExForum is the location where the Memphis Tigers (9-2) will play the Mississippi State Bulldogs (10-1) on Saturday.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs took the court against Central Michigan and walked away with a win by a score of 83-59 in their last game. Mississippi State walked away from the contest with a 49.3% field goal percentage (35 out of 71) and made 11 of their 29 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Bulldogs made 2 of 7 shots for a percentage of 28.6%. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 41 with 14 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 24 assists for the matchup as well as forcing 11 turnovers and getting 8 steals. When discussing defending, Mississippi State allowed their opponent to shoot 34.5% from the field on 20 of 58 shooting. Central Michigan earned 16 dimes and had 5 steals in the game. Moreover, Central Michigan totaled 30 rebounds (8 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Central Michigan ended up going 91.7% when shooting free throws by knocking down 11 of their 12 shots. They also converted 8 of their 26 attempts from beyond the arc. When discussing personal fouls, the Bulldogs ended up with 14 while Central Michigan finished the game with 9 personal fouls.

Claudell Harris Jr. is one guy who was a factor in this matchup. He totaled 19 points on 7 out of 13 shooting. He played 25 minutes and pulled down 4 boards. He finished shooting 53.8% from the floor and distributed 1 assist.

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Mississippi State steps onto the court with a record of 10-1 for the year. They are averaging 84.1 pts per contest (37th in D-1) on 46.8% from the field. The Bulldogs are hitting 34.1% on three-point shots (99 of 290) and 68.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Mississippi State is pulling in 39.5 rebounds per contest and has tallied 193 assists so far this year, which is 44th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 8.9 times per game and as a group they commit 16.7 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Bulldogs are able to force 14.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.1 fouls. They are currently ranked 158th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 141 conceded for the season. The Bulldogs defense is giving up a FG percentage of 41.8% (256 of 612) and they surrender 34.4 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are conceding 36.3% from 3-point land while they are 98th in college hoops in points per game from their opponents (67.7).

In their last game, the Memphis Tigers got the win with a final of 64-62 against Virginia. When talking about rebounding, Memphis allowed Virginia to collect 27 in all (7 offensive). They shot 31.6% from three-point range by going 6 out of 19 and finished the contest at 14 out of 18 from the charity stripe (77.8%). The Tigers allowed Virginia to knock down 21 of their 53 tries from the floor which had them at 39.6% for the game. When this game wrapped up, the Tigers walked away from this one shooting 21 for 56 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.5%. Regarding shots from 3-point land, Memphis converted 5 out of 23 tries (21.7%). They were able to make 17 of them for a percentage of 81.0%. Virginia was called for 19 personal fouls in this contest which took the Tigers to the free throw line for a total of 21 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while earning 3 steals for this game. The Tigers snagged 23 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds totaling 37 for the contest.

PJ Haggerty ended up being a major contributor for the Tigers for the matchup. He converted 8 out of 15 in the matchup for a rate of 53.3%, and earned 5 rebounds. He had 27 points in his 40 minutes on the hardwood and had 5 dimes for the contest.

Memphis has a mark of 9-2 on the campaign. The Tigers are responsible for committing 18.5 fouls per game and they go 73.9% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 12.8 times per game (266th in the country) and they are turning it over 13.9 times per game. Memphis has accounted for 875 pts this year (79.5 per game) and they grab 35.4 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Tigers are connecting on 46.4% from the floor, which is ranked 130th in Division 1.

The Tigers are ranked 287th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 75.7. They are able to force 13.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.0% from the field (181st in college). The Memphis defense surrenders 35.7% on 3-pointers (104 of 291) and their opponents are connecting on 73.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 15.6 dimes and 34.2 boards on a nightly basis, which is 331st and 167th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Mississippi State

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