UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs Loyola Marymount Lions Prediction, 12/12/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs Loyola Marymount Lions

Date: Saturday, December 12, 2020

Location: Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: UC Santa Barbara (+2)

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (3-0) go to Gersten Pavilion on Saturday where they'll take on the Loyola Marymount Lions (2-3). The spread on this contest has Loyola Marymount as 2-point favorites. The O/U opens at 138.

UC Santa Barbara heads into this one with a record of 3-0 on the year. The Gauchos are connecting on 38.8% from downtown (26 of 67) and 64.0% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 94.7 pts per game (6th in college basketball) on 58.2% from the field. They are losing possession via turnover 9.7 times per game and as a unit they are committing 14.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, UC Santa Barbara is pulling down 43.7 boards per game and has tallied 74 assists so far this year, which is 72nd in the nation in terms of passing the rock. Defensively, the Gauchos are able to force 15.0 turnovers per game while drawing 17.0 personal fouls. They concede 26.7% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 13th in D-1 in points per game allowed (55.0). The Gauchos defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 33.9% (59 of 174) and they concede 28.0 boards per contest as a group. They are ranked 48th in college basketball in giving up assists with 30 surrendered this season.

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos stepped onto the hardwood against the Loyola Marymount Lions and earned the victory with a final of 69-58 in their last game. UC Santa Barbara walked away from the game having earned a 48.0% FG percentage (24 out of 50) and knocked down 7 out of their 17 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Gauchos made 14 of 18 attempts for a rate of 77.8%. Regarding pulling down boards, they compiled a total of 25 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 16 assists for this contest in addition to earning 6 steals and 6 blocked shots. With respect to the defense, UC Santa Barbara allowed the other team to shoot 48.0% from the floor on 24 out of 50. Loyola Marymount doled out 7 assists and 3 steals for the contest. Additionally, the Lions totaled 40 rebounds (19 offensive, 21 defensive) and had 6 blocked shots. Loyola Marymount shot 67.7% from the charity stripe by making 21 of 31 shots. They also made 1 of 14 attempts from beyond the perimeter.

Jaquori McLaughlin is one guy who was a contributor in this game. He walked away with 19 points on 5 out of 13 shooting. He saw the court for 37 mins and snagged 4 rebounds. McLaughlin walked away from this one shooting 38.5% from the field and dished out 5 assists. One more player that was a determining factor in the game for the Gauchos was Miles Norris. He grabbed 6 boards and accounted for 4 assists. He went 80.0% from the field in the game by going 4-of-5 (10 points). At the conclusion of this game, Norris played 33 minutes.

Loyola Marymount has a win-loss mark of 2-3 on the campaign. As an offense, the Lions are shooting 41.7% from the field, which is ranked 267th in Division 1. Loyola Marymount has 365 points for the year (73.0 per contest) and they average 39.6 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 12.8 times per game (201st in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 16.6 times per game. The Lions are responsible for committing 21.6 fouls per game and they shoot 70.9% from the free throw line. The Lions are ranked 210th in D-1 in points given up per game with 73.6. The Loyola Marymount defense gives up 38.6% on shots from beyond the arc (34 of 88) and opponents are knocking down 75.7% of their free throw shots. They allow 14.6 dimes and 31.8 rebounds every game, which is 226th and 61st in those defensive categories. They are forcing their opponents into 12.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 43.4% from the floor (183rd in D-1).

For their last game, the Loyola Marymount Lions went home defeated by a final of 69-58 when they faced the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. The Lions snagged 21 defensive boards and 19 offensive boards for a total of 40 for the matchup. They rejected 2 tries while earning 3 steals for the contest. The Gauchos were called for 25 fouls for the matchup which took the Lions to the charity stripe for 31 shots. They were able to knock down 21 of the free throws for a rate of 67.7%. Regarding shooting from distance, Loyola Marymount knocked down 1 of their 14 tries (7.1%). When this game wrapped up, the Lions ended up shooting 18 for 59 from the field which gave them a rate of 30.5%. The Lions allowed the Gauchos to convert 24 of their 50 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 48.0% for the game. They finished the game shooting 41.2% from three-point range by shooting 7 out of 17 and ended up going 14 of 18 at the free throw line (77.8%). When talking about cleaning up the glass, Loyola Marymount allowed UC Santa Barbara to pull down 25 in total (5 offensive).

Eli Scott ended up playing a lot for the Lions for the matchup. He converted 10 of 23 in this contest for a field goal rate of 43.5%, which had him sitting at 31 points. Scott had 12 boards in his 38 mins and added 2 dimes in this matchup. An additional guy that was important for Loyola Marymount was Dameane Douglas. He walked away with 4 points in his 31 minutes played by way of 1 of 5 shooting for this game. Douglas ended the game having shot 20.0% from the field in addition to totaling 2 assists and 7 total rebounds.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UC Santa Barbara (+2)

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