Nicholls State Colonels vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction, 12/18/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Nicholls Colonels vs Gonzaga Bulldogs

Date: Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Location: McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, WA

TV: ESPN+

The Nicholls Colonels (7-4) are headed to McCarthey Athletic Center on Wednesday where they will take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-3).

The Nicholls Colonels played Southern University at New Orleans and notched a win by a score of 110-66 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Colonels ended up with 14 and Southern University at New Orleans finished the game with 20 fouls. They also converted 5 of 16 tries from 3-point land. Southern University at New Orleans walked away from this one shooting 64.7% when shooting free throws by knocking down 11 of 17 attempts. On top of that, Southern University at New Orleans snagged 27 boards (6 offensive, 21 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Southern University at New Orleans distributed 12 dimes and had 16 steals for the contest. When it comes to defense, Nicholls State allowed 38.5% from the field on 25 of 65 shooting. They also recorded 17 dimes in this contest as well as creating 22 turnovers and earning 13 steals. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 47 with 16 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Colonels made 21 of their 28 attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. Nicholls State ended the game having earned a 52.6% FG percentage (41 of 78) and buried 7 of their 25 shots from beyond the arc.

Rob Brown III is one player who was a contributor for the game. He ended up with 28 points on 9 out of 18 shooting. He played for 31 minutes and pulled down 2 boards. He finished the game shooting 50.0% from the floor but had no assists at the end of the game.

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Nicholls State comes into this one with a win-loss mark of 7-4 so far this year. They are averaging 74.5 pts per contest (215th in the nation) while shooting 42.6% from the field. The Colonels are connecting on 30.5% on three-point shots (79 of 259) and 64.6% from the charity stripe. As a team, Nicholls State is pulling in 41.1 rebounds per contest and has totaled 134 assists on the season, which ranks 264th in D-1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 11.0 times per game and as a squad are committing 16.5 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Colonels are able to force 13.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.3 fouls. They are 144th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 131 surrendered for the season. The Colonels defense is giving up a FG percentage of 38.9% (252 of 648) and they surrender 38.3 boards per game as a unit. They surrender 27.1% on three-point shots and they rank 72nd in the country in PPG allowed (66.4).

The last time they took the court, the Gonzaga Bulldogs went home defeated by a final of 77-71 against Connecticut. In reference to cleaning up the glass, Gonzaga permitted Connecticut to pull down 33 in total (7 offensive). They finished 20.8% from downtown via 5 of 24 and finished the contest at 18 of 21 from the charity stripe (85.7%). The Bulldogs permitted Connecticut to convert 27 of their 59 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.8% in this game. Overall, the Bulldogs ended up going 25 out of 57 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.9%. In relation to 3-point shots, Gonzaga converted 6 of their 16 tries (37.5%). They were able to make 15 of those for a rate of 78.9%. Connecticut had 19 fouls in this matchup which took the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for 19 shots. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while recording 4 steals for the matchup. The Bulldogs were able to collect 22 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards totaling 28 in the game.

Khalif Battle ended up being a major contributor for the Bulldogs in the game. He buried 6 out of 12 for this contest for a rate of 50.0%, and had 4 rebounds. He earned 21 points in his 38 mins of playing time and had 2 assists in this contest.

Gonzaga has a mark of 7-3 this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs are connecting on 48.5% from the field, which is 50th in the nation. Gonzaga has scored 883 points this year (88.3 per game) and they pull down 40.7 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 18.9 times per game (12th in the country) and they turn the ball over 9.1 times per contest. The Bulldogs are committing 17.2 personal fouls every game and they hit 80.8% from the free throw line.

The Gonzaga defense allows 24.5% on shots from behind the 3-point line (58 of 237) and their opposition makes 76.1% of their foul shots. They concede 12.0 assists and 32.8 boards per contest, which ranks them 110th and 103rd in the nation. The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 139th in D-1 in points given up per game with 69.6. They are forcing 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 41.4% from the floor (116th in the nation).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Nicholls State

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