UAB Blazers vs SMU Mustangs Prediction, 2/4/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UAB Blazers vs SMU Mustangs

Date: Sunday, February 4, 2024

Location: Moody Coliseum in University Park, TX

TV: ESPN

The SMU Mustangs (14-7) will try to beat the UAB Blazers (14-7) at Moody Coliseum on Sunday.

The UAB Blazers faced off with North Texas and notched a win by a score of 82-79 in their last game. UAB wrapped up the game with a 48.3% FG percentage (28 of 58) and made 5 out of their 16 3-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Blazers converted 21 of 24 shots for a rate of 87.5%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they collected 31 with 7 of them being offensive. They also distributed 11 assists for this game as well as forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and having 10 steals. In regard to defense, UAB allowed the other team to shoot 43.5% from the floor on 27 of 62 shooting. North Texas doled out 9 dimes and had 8 steals in this matchup. Additionally, North Texas pulled down 33 boards (13 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. North Texas shot 72.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 18 of their 25 attempts. They made 7 out of their 22 tries from distance. In regard to fouls, the Blazers finished with 19 and North Texas finished the game with 20 fouls.

Efrem Johnson is a guy who was a factor for the matchup. He ended up going 46.2% from the floor and also totaled 3 dimes. He was on the court for 40 mins played and totaled 3 rebounds. He racked up 18 points on 6 out of 13 shooting.

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UAB steps onto the court with a mark of 14-7 on the season. They turn it over 11.8 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 16.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, UAB is pulling down 38.3 rebounds per contest and has tallied 262 assists on the campaign, which ranks 259th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Blazers are hitting 31.3% from downtown (122 of 390) and 74.7% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 77.8 pts per game (89th in Division 1) while going 44.6% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Blazers are forcing 12.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.2 personal fouls. They surrender 34.7% on three-point shots and they are 292nd in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (75.9). The Blazers defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.0% (570 of 1,268) and they surrender 34.4 rebounds per game as a group. They are ranked 189th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 276 relinquished for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the SMU Mustangs got the win with a final of 80-76 when they played Tulane. In regard to rebounding, SMU allowed Tulane to get 32 in all (3 on the offensive side). They went 35.0% from 3-point land by shooting 7 of 20 and ended up going 13 out of 20 from the free throw line (65.0%). The Mustangs permitted Tulane to make 28 out of 61 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.9% for the game. When the final whistle was blown, the Mustangs ended up shooting 31 for 76 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.8%. In relation to shooting from distance, SMU made 6 of 26 attempts (23.1%). They were able to convert 12 of the free throw tries for a rate of 75.0%. Tulane earned 17 fouls for this contest which got the Mustangs to the charity stripe for 16 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while recording 5 steals in this game. The Mustangs corralled 32 defensive boards and 17 offensive boards for a total of 49 for the game.

Tyreek Smith was important for the Mustangs for the game. He earned 16 points in his 21 minutes on the court and totaled 2 assists for this game. He knocked down 8 of 9 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 88.9%, and had 7 rebounds.

SMU has a win-loss mark of 14-7 for the campaign. As an offense, the Mustangs are shooting 45.6% from the floor, which is 137th in college hoops. SMU has totaled 1,591 pts this season (75.8 per contest) and they average 40.2 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 15.7 times per game (51st in D-1) and they turn it over 12.0 times per contest. The Mustangs are responsible for committing 16.9 fouls every game and they shoot 69.1% from the charity stripe.

The Mustangs on the defensive end are ranked 19th in Division 1 in PPG allowed with 64.0. They are able to force 13.0 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 38.2% from the floor (7th in college hoops). The SMU defense gives up 27.3% on 3-point attempts (125 of 458) and opponents are converting on 68.4% of their foul shots. They have conceded 12.6 dimes and 34.8 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 149th and 173rd in those categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UAB

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