Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Pittsburgh Panthers Prediction, 1/31/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Pittsburgh Panthers

Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Location: Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: ESPN

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (13-6) are headed to Petersen Events Center on Wednesday where they will meet the Pittsburgh Panthers (12-8).

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons took the court against North Carolina and ended up losing by a score of 85-64 in their last contest. Wake Forest ended the contest with a 35.6% FG percentage (21 of 59) and buried 3 of their 20 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Demon Deacons converted 19 of their 25 tries for a rate of 76.0%. Concerning pulling down rebounds, they collected 27 with 2 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 3 dimes for this contest while forcing 8 turnovers and having 3 steals. When talking about the defense, Wake Forest allowed the other team to shoot 52.5% from the floor on 32 out of 61 shooting. North Carolina recorded 8 assists and had 2 steals in this matchup. In addition, North Carolina grabbed 40 boards (4 offensive, 36 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. North Carolina finished the contest at 72.7% from the free throw line by making 16 of 22 tries. They also buried 5 of 15 tries from downtown. In regard to fouls, the Demon Deacons ended up with 16 and North Carolina totaled 20 fouls.

Hunter Sallis is a guy who was a major factor for this contest. He ended up finishing with 18 points on 6 of 13 shooting. He played 38 mins and also totaled 3 rebounds. He ended up shooting 46.2% from the field and also distributed 1 assist.

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Wake Forest steps onto the court with a record of 13-6 on the year. They turn it over 11.2 times per game and as a unit are committing 15.6 fouls every game. As a unit, Wake Forest is grabbing 34.8 boards per game and has tallied 234 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 308th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Demon Deacons are hitting 38.2% on 3-pointers (166 of 435) and 79.8% from the free throw line. They average 80.2 points per outing (53rd in the country) while going 47.1% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Demon Deacons are forcing their opponents into 11.9 turnovers every game and they draw 17.9 personal fouls. They rank 5th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 192 conceded on the campaign. The Demon Deacons defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 43.1% (489 of 1,135) and they relinquish 33.5 rebounds per game as a team. They are surrendering 32.9% on three-point shots and they rank 144th in college hoops in points per game allowed (70.6).

In their last game, the Pittsburgh Panthers took a defeat with a final score of 72-68 when they played Miami. The Panthers recorded 28 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 36 in this contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 3 times, while recording 7 steals for this game. Miami committed 12 fouls in this game which took the Panthers to the charity stripe for 16 attempts. They were able to knock down 9 of those for a rate of 56.3%. Concerning shooting from downtown, Pittsburgh knocked down 11 of 36 tries (30.6%). When all was said and done, the Panthers ended up shooting 24 out of 64 from the field which gave them a percentage of 37.5%. The Panthers allowed Miami to make 28 out of their 63 attempts from the field which had them shooting 44.4% in this contest. They finished 32.3% from behind the 3-point line by going 10 out of 31 and ended up going 6 of 8 from the free throw line (75.0%). In relation to rebounds, Pittsburgh permitted Miami to get 36 overall (6 offensive).

Blake Hinson ended up having an impact for the Panthers in this game. He totaled 21 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He made 8 of 19 in this game for a rate of 42.1%, and accounted for 9 rebounds.

Pittsburgh has a win-loss mark of 12-8 so far this year. As an offensive team, the Panthers are hitting on 43.0% from the field, which ranks 280th in the country. Pittsburgh has accounted for 1,517 points so far this year (75.9 per game) and they average 39.3 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 14.3 times per game (122nd in college basketball) and they are turning it over 9.8 times per contest. The Panthers have committed 15.3 fouls every game and they go 68.0% from the free throw line.

The Pittsburgh defense surrenders 30.3% on three-point shots (142 of 468) and their opponents are converting on 75.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 12.5 assists and 34.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 150th and 134th in Division 1. The Panthers defensively are ranked 71st in college hoops in PPG given up with 66.9. They are able to force 11.7 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.4% from the floor (77th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Pittsburgh

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