North Alabama Lions vs North Florida Ospreys Prediction, 2/8/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: North Alabama Lions vs North Florida Ospreys

Date: Thursday, February 8, 2024

Location: UNF Arena in Jacksonville, FL

TV: ESPN+

The North Florida Ospreys (13-11) are hosting the North Alabama Lions (11-12) at UNF Arena on Thursday.

The North Alabama Lions stepped onto the hardwood against Florida Gulf Coast and walked away with a win by a score of 70-69 in their last game. Concerning fouls, the Lions ended up with 12 while Florida Gulf Coast recorded 15 fouls. They converted 5 of 16 attempts from long range. Florida Gulf Coast went 53.3% from the charity stripe by knocking down 8 of their 15 tries. Furthermore, Florida Gulf Coast totaled 32 boards (11 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Florida Gulf Coast distributed 3 dimes and had 6 steals for the contest. Pertaining to defending, North Alabama allowed their opponent to shoot 47.5% from the floor on 28 out of 59 shooting. They also dished out 10 assists in the game in addition to forcing 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned 24 with 6 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Lions converted 10 of 13 shots for a percentage of 76.9%. North Alabama wrapped up the game having earned a 50.9% FG percentage (28 of 55) and converted 4 out of their 18 three-point shots.

Jacari Lane is one player who was a factor in this game. He shot 53.3% from the floor and totaled 6 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 35 minutes and pulled down 4 rebounds. He racked up 21 points on 8 out of 15 shooting.

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North Alabama enters this game with a win-loss record of 11-12 on the campaign. They are averaging 77.3 pts per game (98th in Division 1) while hitting 44.6% from the floor. The Lions are shooting 35.8% on shots from 3-point land (180 of 503) and 75.2% from the free throw line. As a unit, North Alabama is collecting 36.7 boards per game and has accumulated 273 dimes this year, which is 280th in college hoops in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.1 times per game and as a unit they are committing 18.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Lions are able to force 10.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.8 personal fouls. They are surrendering 34.3% on shots from distance and they rank 292nd in college hoops in points per game from their opponents (76.1). The Lions are giving up a FG percentage of 44.3% (604 of 1,362) and they surrender 35.9 boards per contest as a team. They rank 236th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 304 relinquished on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the North Florida Ospreys took a defeat with a final score of 95-91 when they played Austin Peay. The Ospreys collected 24 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 in the matchup. They also turned it over 11 times, while getting 4 steals for the contest. Austin Peay earned 17 personal fouls in this game which got the Ospreys to the charity stripe for a total of 22 attempts. They were able to make 16 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 72.7%. With respect to shooting from 3-point land, North Florida made 7 of their 18 tries (38.9%). When the final whistle blew, the Ospreys ended up going 34 out of 58 from the field which gave them a percentage of 58.6%. The Ospreys permitted Austin Peay to make 37 of 71 attempts from the floor which had them at 52.1% for the contest. They finished 46.4% from downtown by hitting 13 out of 28 and ended up shooting 8 of 19 at the charity stripe (42.1%). When talking about rebounds, North Florida allowed Austin Peay to collect 30 in all (11 on the offensive side).

Chaz Lanier ended up being a major contributor for the Ospreys for this game. He made 9 of 17 for this contest giving him a rate of 52.9%, and totaled 8 rebounds. He tallied 33 points in his 48 minutes on the hardwood, but wasn't able to get an assist.

North Florida has a mark of 13-11 so far this season. As an offensive unit, the Ospreys are shooting 44.7% from the field, which is ranked 178th in college basketball. North Florida has accounted for 1,884 points on the season (78.5 per contest) and they pull down 34.3 boards per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 13.1 times per game (192nd in the country) and they are giving up possession 11.4 times per contest. The Ospreys have committed 15.9 personal fouls every game and they shoot 75.8% from the free throw line.

The Ospreys on the defensive side of the court are 276th in Division 1 in PPG given up with 75.3. They are forcing 11.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 46.0% from the floor (321st in D-1). The North Florida defense allows 34.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter (153 of 445) and opponents are connecting on 73.5% of their free throw shots. They give up 12.7 assists and 35.4 rebounds per contest, which is 163rd and 210th in D-1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take North Alabama

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