Sam Houston State Bearkats vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Prediction, 3/7/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Sam Houston State Bearkats vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Date: Thursday, March 7, 2024

Location: Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, LA

TV: ESPN+

The Sam Houston State Bearkats (18-11) are headed to Thomas Assembly Center on Thursday where they will play the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (21-8).

The Sam Houston State Bearkats stepped onto the hardwood against MTSU and notched a win by a score of 81-64 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Bearkats finished with 24 and MTSU finished the game with 22 personal fouls. They made 5 of their 20 tries from 3-point range. MTSU shot 79.3% from the charity stripe by converting 23 of 29 attempts. On top of that, MTSU collected 21 boards (4 offensive, 17 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. MTSU dished out 9 dimes and had 2 steals in this game. In regard to defense, Sam Houston State allowed their opponent to shoot 38.3% from the field on 18 out of 47 shooting. They also doled out 12 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and getting 3 steals. When discussing hauling in boards, they earned a total of 34 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Bearkats knocked down 22 of their 28 attempts for a rate of 78.6%. Sam Houston State walked away from the contest with a 48.1% field goal percentage (25 out of 52) and knocked down 9 out of their 22 shots from 3-point land.

Davon Barnes is a guy who was a factor in the matchup. He ended up finishing with 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting. He played for 31 mins and also collected 3 rebounds. He went 66.7% from the floor but had no dimes when the game ended.

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Sam Houston State comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 18-11 this season. They turn it over 13.2 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 17.7 fouls per contest. As a unit, Sam Houston State is collecting 38.0 rebounds per game and has accounted for 378 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 224th in college basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Bearkats are hitting 35.2% on shots from distance (219 of 622) and 72.8% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 72.0 pts per game (237th in the nation) on 42.2% from the field.

On defense, the Bearkats are forcing 13.4 turnovers per game and they draw 17.6 personal fouls. They are conceding 31.4% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 112th in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (69.6). The Bearkats defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 43.0% (709 of 1,650) and they surrender 34.6 rebounds per contest as a squad. They currently rank 162nd in college basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 381 relinquished on the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs got the win with a final of 90-84 when they faced Western Kentucky. The Bulldogs recorded 27 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 34 in the game. They coughed up the ball 12 times, while earning 7 steals in this matchup. Western Kentucky committed 22 personal fouls in the game which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for 32 attempts. They were able to make 25 of them for a clip of 78.1%. Concerning shots from downtown, Louisiana Tech made 11 of their 20 tries (55.0%). Overall, the Bulldogs shot 27 out of 56 from the floor which had them at 48.2%. The Bulldogs allowed Western Kentucky to make 27 out of their 62 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 43.5% for this contest. They finished the game shooting 38.7% from downtown via 12 of 31 and ended up going 18 of 25 from the free throw line (72.0%). When discussing how they rebounded, Louisiana Tech permitted Western Kentucky to collect 25 in total (5 offensive).

Isaiah Crawford ended up being a factor for the Bulldogs in the game. He knocked down 5 out of 11 for the game giving him a rate of 45.5%, and totaled 7 rebounds. He had 20 points in his 40 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 dimes for the matchup.

Louisiana Tech has a win-loss mark of 21-8 for the year. The Bulldogs are committing 15.7 personal fouls every game and they connect on 70.3% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.6 times per contest (232nd in college basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.8 times per game. Louisiana Tech has accounted for 2,175 pts for the season (75.0 per game) and they average 38.8 boards per game. When it comes to offense, the Bulldogs are shooting 45.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 111th in the nation.

The Bulldogs are ranked 13th in college basketball in PPG given up with 63.9. They are forcing 12.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 39.1% from the floor (8th in college hoops). The Louisiana Tech defense concedes 33.4% on three-point shots (198 of 592) and their opposition knocks down 69.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 10.2 assists and 32.6 boards every game, which is ranked 12th and 63rd in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Sam Houston State

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