Norfolk State Spartans vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 12/31/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Norfolk State Spartans vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Location: Food City Center in Knoxville, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Norfolk State Spartans (9-6) are on their way to Food City Center on Tuesday where they will try to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers (12-0).

The Norfolk State Spartans stepped onto the hardwood against High Point and took home the win by a score of 77-74 in their last game. Norfolk State ended with a 53.8% FG percentage (28 of 52) and made 5 out of their 15 three-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Spartans made 16 of their 23 tries for a rate of 69.6%. Pertaining to rebounding, they earned 26 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 12 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and having 4 steals. When it comes to defense, Norfolk State allowed 34.5% from the field on 19 out of 55 shooting. High Point totaled 15 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. On top of that, High Point totaled 41 boards (20 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. High Point finished shooting 63.6% when shooting free throws by making 21 of their 33 shots. They made 15 of 36 attempts from three-point range. In relation to personal fouls, the Spartans walked away with 25 while High Point had 19 personal fouls.

Brian Moore Jr. is a guy who came through in this matchup. He racked up 33 points on 13 out of 21 shooting. He saw the court for 35 mins played and pulled down 5 rebounds. He finished the contest at 61.9% from the field and totaled 6 assists.

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Norfolk State enters this contest with a win-loss mark of 9-6 on the campaign. They are averaging 75.6 pts per contest (189th in college) while going 48.3% from the field. The Spartans are shooting 36.0% from downtown (91 of 253) and 78.0% from the charity stripe. As a team, Norfolk State is grabbing 32.7 boards per contest and has tallied 189 dimes for the season, which is 166th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.7 times per contest and as a team are committing 18.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Spartans are able to force 13.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.7 fouls. They are conceding 32.1% on shots from distance and they rank 126th in D-1 in opponents PPG (69.1). The Spartans defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 41.0% (343 of 836) and they relinquish 33.1 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are 326th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 211 surrendered on the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Tennessee Volunteers took home the win by a final score of 82-64 against MTSU. The Volunteers corralled 29 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 for this contest. They also turned the ball over 11 times, while earning 6 steals for the game. MTSU committed 21 personal fouls for this contest which got the Volunteers to the free throw line for 23 tries. They were able to make 18 of the free throw tries for a rate of 78.3%. In the matter of shooting from 3-point land, Tennessee knocked down 10 out of 22 tries (45.5%). When this game wrapped up, the Volunteers ended up shooting 27 out of 56 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.2%. The Volunteers allowed MTSU to bury 24 of 59 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 40.7% in the game. They finished shooting 30.0% from downtown by connecting on 9 of 30 and walked away from this one shooting 7 of 14 at the charity stripe (50.0%). Concerning cleaning up the glass, Tennessee permitted MTSU to get 25 in all (3 on the offensive side).

Chaz Lanier ended up being important for the Volunteers in this game. He buried 8 out of 19 in this game for a rate of 42.1%, and had 4 rebounds. He had 23 points in his 33 mins of playing time and earned 1 assist for this contest.

Tennessee has a mark of 12-0 this season. In terms of offensive execution, the Volunteers are hitting on 49.4% from the field, which ranks them 30th in the nation. Tennessee has totaled 974 points this season (81.2 per game) and they collect 39.6 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 17.0 times per contest (44th in the nation) and they cough up possession 11.2 times per game. The Volunteers commit 14.4 personal fouls per game and they connect on 74.9% from the charity stripe.

The Volunteers on the defensive side of the court are 5th in the country in points per game surrendered with 56.6. They are able to force 14.3 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 34.5% from the floor (2nd in the nation). The Tennessee defense allows 24.9% on 3-point attempts (84 of 337) and their opposition knocks down 72.6% of their foul shots. They relinquish 8.7 assists and 29.1 rebounds every game, which is 5th and 9th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Tennessee

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