Sam Houston State Bearkats vs Pittsburgh Panthers Prediction, 12/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Sam Houston State Bearkats vs Pittsburgh Panthers

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: ESPN+

The Pittsburgh Panthers (9-2) are welcoming the Sam Houston State Bearkats (6-5) at Petersen Events Center on Saturday.

The Sam Houston State Bearkats stepped onto the hardwood against St. Thomas (TX) and earned the victory with a final of 80-54 in their last game. Sam Houston State finished the contest having earned a 42.4% field goal percentage (28 of 66) and made 10 of their 26 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Bearkats made 14 of their 25 attempts for a percentage of 56.0%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 60 with 18 of them being offensive. They also distributed 18 dimes in the matchup while forcing 12 turnovers and earning 11 steals. In the matter of defense, Sam Houston State allowed 27.1% from the field on 19 of 70 shooting. St. Thomas (TX) distributed 7 dimes and had 10 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, St. Thomas (TX) totaled 35 boards (12 offensive, 23 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. St. Thomas (TX) ended up shooting 61.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 8 of their 13 shots. They also buried 8 of their 37 shots from downtown. When it comes to fouls, the Bearkats walked away with 12 and St. Thomas (TX) accumulated 19 fouls.

Lamar Wilkerson is a guy who played a role in this matchup. He ended up finishing with 19 points on 5 of 10 shooting. He saw the court for 29 minutes played and also totaled 6 rebounds. He ended up shooting 50.0% from the floor and earned 4 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Sam Houston State heads into this game with a win-loss record of 6-5 for the season. They are averaging 78.7 points per contest (115th in the country) while shooting 45.3% from the floor. The Bearkats are hitting 40.4% on shots from 3-point land (103 of 255) and 68.9% from the charity stripe. As a team, Sam Houston State is pulling down 37.3 boards per game and is sitting with 173 dimes so far this year, which ranks 127th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.8 times per contest and as a team they commit 18.7 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Bearkats are able to force 13.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.7 personal fouls. They concede 35.1% on 3-point shots and they are 300th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (76.5). The Bearkats defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.8% (300 of 655) and they relinquish 35.3 rebounds per contest as a team. They are ranked 295th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 170 conceded this year.

When they last played, the Pittsburgh Panthers got the victory with a final of 96-56 against Eastern Kentucky. The Panthers were able to collect 32 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 for the contest. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while recording 7 steals for this contest. Eastern Kentucky earned 19 personal fouls in this contest which got the Panthers to the charity stripe for a total of 25 shots. They were able to knock down 19 of them for a rate of 76.0%. In relation to shots from downtown, Pittsburgh knocked down 11 of their 23 tries (47.8%). In all, the Panthers ended up going 33 for 54 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 61.1%. The Panthers permitted Eastern Kentucky to convert 23 out of 70 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 32.9% in this game. They shot 25.0% from beyond the arc by going 7 out of 28 and finished the game at 3 of 5 at the free throw line (60.0%). When discussing cleaning up the glass, Pittsburgh allowed Eastern Kentucky to grab 31 in total (14 on the offensive glass).

Brandin Cummings ended up having an impact for the Panthers in this game. He earned 30 points in his 30 mins on the court, but wasn't able to get an assist. He converted 10 out of 13 in this contest for a rate of 76.9%, and had 1 rebound.

Pittsburgh has a mark of 9-2 this season. As an offensive team, the Panthers are hitting on 48.0% from the floor, which ranks 65th in the country. Pittsburgh has 898 points for the season (81.6 per game) and they grab 37.2 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 14.2 times per game (184th in the nation) and they are turning it over 10.0 times per contest. The Panthers have committed 16.0 fouls every game and they shoot 76.8% from the charity stripe.

The Panthers are ranked 78th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 67.0. They are forcing 13.0 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 40.8% from the floor (86th in college hoops). The Pittsburgh defense gives up 29.8% on shots from 3-point land (73 of 245) and their opposition knocks down 67.8% of their foul shots. They relinquish 10.9 dimes and 34.2 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 54th and 167th in the nation.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Pittsburgh

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here