UAB Blazers vs Wichita State Shockers Prediction, 2/27/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UAB Blazers vs Wichita State Shockers

Date: Thursday, February 27, 2025

Location: Charles Koch Arena in Corvallis, OR

TV: ESPN+

Charles Koch Arena is the location where the Wichita State Shockers (17-10) will take on the UAB Blazers (18-9) on Thursday.

The UAB Blazers stepped onto the hardwood against Temple and took home the win by a score of 80-64 in their last game. UAB walked away from the contest with a 43.7% FG percentage (31 of 71) and converted 8 of 22 3-point attempts. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Blazers made 10 of 13 tries for a rate of 76.9%. With respect to pulling down boards, they earned 43 with 19 of them being offensive. They also dished out 21 assists in this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 6 steals. When it comes to the defense, UAB allowed 41.7% from the floor on 25 out of 60 shooting. Temple distributed 10 assists and had 3 steals in this matchup. Additionally, Temple pulled down 30 rebounds (9 offensive, 21 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Temple ended up going 75.0% at the charity stripe by making 9 of 12 tries. They also made 5 out of their 17 tries from beyond the perimeter. In the matter of personal fouls, the Blazers ended up with 10 while Temple racked up 14 personal fouls.

Bradley Ezewiro is one player who came through for the contest. He notched 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting. He was on the court for 23 mins and totaled 7 rebounds. He finished 60.0% from the field and also totaled 1 assist.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Tonight

UAB heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 18-9 so far this year. They are averaging 83.6 points per contest (13th in D-1) while going 46.5% from the floor. The Blazers are hitting 34.3% on shots from distance (181 of 528) and 76.2% from the free throw line. As a team, UAB is snagging 40.7 boards per game and is sitting with 448 dimes this season, which ranks 45th in college in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.2 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 15.6 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Blazers are forcing 10.9 turnovers per game and they draw 16.1 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 138th in college in allowing assists with 356 conceded so far this year. The Blazers defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 44.4% (737 of 1,660) and they concede 33.3 boards per game as a team. They are surrendering 35.1% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 295th in college hoops in opponents points per game (75.9).

When they last played, the Wichita State Shockers walked away with a victory by a final of 78-67 when they faced Tulane. When talking about rebounding, Wichita State permitted Tulane to grab 28 overall (8 offensive). They finished the game shooting 21.4% from distance by going 3 out of 14 and walked away from this one shooting 10 of 18 at the charity stripe (55.6%). The Shockers permitted Tulane to make 27 out of their 60 tries from the field which had them shooting 45.0% in the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Shockers walked away from this one shooting 28 out of 56 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. In the matter of shots from beyond the perimeter, Wichita State made 6 out of 21 attempts (28.6%). They were able to bury 16 of the free throw tries for a clip of 84.2%. Tulane was called for 18 fouls for the matchup which took the Shockers to the charity stripe for a total of 19 tries. They coughed up the ball 11 times, while earning 3 steals for the game. The Shockers were able to corral 26 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 34 in this matchup.

Xavier Bell was important for the Shockers in this game. He converted 7 out of 15 for the contest for a rate of 46.7%, and had 3 rebounds. He tallied 23 points in his 34 minutes on the court and had 1 assist in the matchup.

Wichita State has a mark of 17-10 this season. The Shockers commit 14.8 fouls per contest while shooting 73.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.4 times per contest (277th in the nation) and they are giving up possession 11.6 times per game. Wichita State has tallied 2,020 pts this season (74.8 per game) and they average 38.7 boards per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Shockers are shooting 45.3% from the floor, which is ranked 153rd in the nation.

The Wichita State defense allows 34.0% from downtown (233 of 686) and opponents are knocking down 65.5% of their foul shots. They have allowed 14.2 dimes and 34.8 boards every game, ranking them 272nd and 215th in those categories on the defensive end. The Shockers on the defensive side of the court are 208th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 72.8. They are able to force 11.1 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 43.1% from the floor (141st in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Wichita State

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