La Salle Explorers vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, 12/14/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: La Salle Explorers vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Date: Saturday, December 14, 2024

Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC

TV: ESPN+

Dean E. Smith Center is the site where the North Carolina Tar Heels (5-4) will try to beat the La Salle Explorers (6-4) on Saturday.

The La Salle Explorers faced off with Saint Joseph's and ended up losing by a score of 82-68 in their last contest. When discussing personal fouls, the Explorers ended up finishing with 14 while Saint Joseph's had 16 personal fouls. They made 6 out of their 19 shots from distance. Saint Joseph's walked away from this one shooting 75.0% at the free throw line by knocking down 12 of 16 attempts. On top of that, Saint Joseph's had 28 boards (4 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't have a block. Saint Joseph's earned 22 assists and had 8 steals for the matchup. When talking about defending, La Salle allowed their opponent to shoot 53.3% from the floor on 32 out of 60 shooting. They also distributed 9 assists for the game as well as forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and having 6 steals. In terms of rebounding, they compiled a total of 33 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Explorers made 18 of their 21 shots for a rate of 85.7%. La Salle wrapped up the game having earned a 36.7% FG percentage (22 out of 60) and converted 6 of 24 shots from downtown.

Deuce Jones is someone who was a major factor for the game. He accumulated 19 points on 5 of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 33 minutes and also grabbed 4 rebounds. He finished the game at 45.5% from the field and also recorded 4 assists.

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La Salle steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 6-4 this year. They are averaging 77.1 points per outing (159th in college hoops) while shooting 42.9% from the field. The Explorers are shooting 32.9% from downtown (70 of 213) and 74.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, La Salle is grabbing 39.0 rebounds per game and has racked up 116 dimes so far this year, which is 294th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 11.2 times per game and as a group are committing 16.5 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Explorers have forced 11.8 turnovers per game while drawing 17.6 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 30.3% on shots from downtown and they are 259th in college basketball in opponents points per game (74.1). The Explorers are allowing a field goal percentage of 44.5% (272 of 611) and they concede 34.7 rebounds per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 275th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 145 conceded on the year.

For their last game, the North Carolina Tar Heels took home the win by a final score of 68-65 against Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels snagged 34 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards totaling 43 in this game. They turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 10 steals in the matchup. Georgia Tech earned 16 personal fouls for the contest which got the Tar Heels to the free throw line for a total of 21 tries. They were able to make 17 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 81.0%. In regard to shots from 3-point land, North Carolina made 5 of their 24 attempts (20.8%). In all, the Tar Heels ended up shooting 23 out of 59 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.0%. The Tar Heels permitted Georgia Tech to bury 20 of their 64 tries from the field which had them sitting at 31.3% in the game. They shot 29.6% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 8 of 27 and walked away from this one shooting 17 of 24 from the charity stripe (70.8%). Concerning team rebounding, North Carolina permitted Georgia Tech to collect 34 overall (9 offensive).

Seth Trimble was important for the Tar Heels in this matchup. He converted 5 of 6 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 83.3%, and totaled 7 rebounds. He earned 19 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood, but wasn't able to tally an assist.

North Carolina has a record of 5-4 so far this year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Tar Heels are hitting on 46.1% from the field, which is ranked 149th in the nation. North Carolina has totaled 775 pts for the year (86.1 per contest) and they pull in 38.7 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.8 times per game (205th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 10.9 times per contest. The Tar Heels commit 18.0 fouls every game and they go 78.3% from the charity stripe.

The North Carolina defense allows 34.3% on shots from 3-point land (83 of 242) and opponents are connecting on 77.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They surrender 13.7 dimes and 37.0 boards every game, which ranks 236th and 287th in the country. The Tar Heels on the defensive end are ranked 342nd in college basketball in points given up per game with 80.0. They are able to force 11.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 42.8% from the field (185th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take La Salle

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