Samford Bulldogs vs Belmont Bruins Prediction, 12/5/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Samford Bulldogs vs Belmont Bruins

Date: Saturday, December 5, 2020

Location: Curb Event Center Arena in Nashville, TN

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Samford (+17.5)

The Belmont Bruins (3-0) host the Samford Bulldogs (2-1) at Curb Event Center Arena on Saturday. Samford opens this game as 17.5-point dogs. The over/under has been set at 156.5.

Samford enters this matchup with a mark of 2-1 this season. They are averaging 90.7 points per outing (28th in college hoops) while connecting on 50.5% from the floor. The Bulldogs are hitting 34.7% on shots beyond the perimeter (25 of 72) and 71.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Samford is pulling in 42.7 rebounds per game and has accounted for 63 dimes so far this year, which is 22nd in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.0 times per game and as a squad they commit 18.0 fouls on a nightly basis. Defensively, the Bulldogs are able to force 16.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.7 fouls. They currently rank 219th in the country in allowing assists with 45 conceded for the year. The Bulldogs defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 41.4% (77 of 186) and they relinquish 32.3 boards per game as a squad. They give up 34.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 196th in D-1 in PPG allowed (74.7).

The Samford Bulldogs played the Covenant Scots and notched a win by a score of 98-73 in their last contest. Samford walked away from the contest having earned a 55.1% FG percentage (38 of 69) and converted 10 of 24 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Bulldogs made 12 of their 17 attempts for a rate of 70.6%. In terms of grabbing boards, they compiled 46 with 16 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 25 assists for the matchup as well as earning 4 steals and 3 blocked shots. When discussing the defense, Samford allowed their opponent to shoot 55.1% from the floor on 38 out of 69. Covenant recorded 12 assists and 5 steals in the matchup. Moreover, the Scots had 29 rebounds (13 offensive, 16 defensive) and had 3 blocked shots. Covenant finished 65.0% when shooting free throws by burying 13 of their 20 attempts. They buried 14 out of their 40 shots from long range.

Jacob Tryon is a guy who was a major contributor for the game. He ended up walking away with 17 points on 8 out of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 24 minutes played and also grabbed 8 boards. Tryon shot 72.7% from the field and also earned 3 assists. Another guy that had an impact in this game for the Bulldogs was Richardson Maitre. He pulled down 5 rebounds and also collected 4 assists. He finished shooting 50.0% from the floor in the matchup by going 5-of-10 (15 points). When the final whistle blew, Maitre was on the court for 23 minutes.

Belmont has a record of 3-0 for the season. The Bruins are committing 14.0 fouls per game and they shoot 73.1% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 15.7 times per contest (87th in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 13.7 times per contest. Belmont has totaled 245 pts so far this year (81.7 per game) and they average 36.0 rebounds per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Bruins are hitting on 50.8% from the field, which has them ranked 105th in D-1. The Bruins on the defensive end are ranked 128th in college basketball in PPG allowed with 68.7. The Belmont defense allows 26.0% on 3-point attempts (19 of 73) and opponents are connecting on 60.0% of their foul shots. They relinquish 12.0 dimes and 36.7 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 119th and 163rd in D-1. They are able to force 15.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.1% from the field (141st in the country).

The last time they took the court, the Belmont Bruins got the win with a final of 73-61 when they faced the Queens Royals. The Bruins earned 27 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds totaling 32 for the game. They also blocked 5 shots while recording 6 steals for this contest. The Royals committed 16 personal fouls in this game which got the Bruins to the free throw line for a total of 19 shots. They were able to make 13 of those for a rate of 68.4%. When it comes to shooting from downtown, Belmont knocked down 8 out of 29 attempts (27.6%). When the final whistle blew, the Bruins finished the game shooting 26 for 53 from the field which gave them a rate of 49.1%. The Bruins permitted the Royals to convert 21 of 66 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 31.8% for this game. They finished 27.3% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 6 out of 22 and ended up shooting 13 of 18 at the free throw line (72.2%). In reference to attacking the glass, Belmont allowed Queens to get 42 overall (17 on the offensive glass).

Luke Smith ended up being a major contributor for the Bruins in this game. He made 6 out of 11 in this game giving him a rate of 54.5%, which had him sitting at 18 points. Smith grabbed 2 boards in his 37 mins and earned 3 assists in this contest. An additional guy that ended up playing a role for Belmont was Grayson Murphy. He totaled 9 points in 37 minutes on the hardwood via 4 out of 9 shooting for the game. Murphy finished going 44.4% from the field while collecting 5 assists and 11 rebounds.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Belmont (-17.5)

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