UMass Minutemen vs Saint Joseph's Hawks Prediction, 12/31/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMass Minutemen vs Saint Joseph's Hawks

Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Location: Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena in Philadelphia, PA

TV: ESPN+

Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena is the location where the Saint Joseph's Hawks (9-4) will meet the UMass Minutemen (5-8) on Tuesday.

The UMass Minutemen took the court against Arizona State and went home with a loss by a final score of 78-62 in their last contest. UMass wrapped up the contest with a 38.3% FG percentage (23 out of 60) and made 6 of their 16 3-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Minutemen buried 10 of their 18 shots for a percentage of 55.6%. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they earned a total of 30 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 12 assists in this contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In regard to defense, UMass let their opponent shoot 45.2% from the floor on 28 of 62 shooting. Arizona State doled out 15 dimes and had 6 steals in the matchup. Furthermore, Arizona State collected 42 boards (8 offensive, 34 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Arizona State finished the game at 87.5% at the charity stripe by burying 14 of their 16 attempts. They also knocked down 8 of 20 shots from beyond the arc. When discussing fouls, the Minutemen walked away with 17 while Arizona State recorded 19 fouls.

Rahsool Diggins is a player who was a major contributor for the matchup. He finished shooting 47.1% from the floor and also dished out 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes and snagged 1 rebound. He ended up finishing with 24 points on 8 out of 17 shooting.

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UMass comes into this matchup with a record of 5-8 so far this year. They average 74.4 points per contest (218th in Division 1) while connecting on 42.6% from the floor. The Minutemen are hitting 26.7% from downtown (72 of 270) and 62.2% from the free throw line. As a unit, UMass is pulling down 39.2 boards per contest and is sitting with 181 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 200th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 11.8 times per game and as a team they commit 18.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Minutemen are able to force 13.4 turnovers per game while drawing 19.9 personal fouls. They currently rank 281st in D-1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 192 surrendered this season. The Minutemen are allowing a FG percentage of 42.4% (339 of 799) and they relinquish 37.4 rebounds per game as a team. They surrender 32.9% on shots from downtown while they are 271st in the nation in PPG from their opponents (74.8).

In their last game, the Saint Joseph's Hawks got the victory with a final of 76-58 when they played Delaware State. The Hawks snagged 31 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 38 in this game. They gave up possession 16 times, while getting 7 steals for the matchup. Delaware State committed 15 personal fouls for the contest which took the Hawks to the charity stripe for 18 attempts. They were able to make 14 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 77.8%. Regarding shooting from beyond the arc, Saint Joseph's made 8 out of 31 tries (25.8%). When the final whistle was blown, the Hawks shot 27 out of 54 from the field which had them shooting 50.0%. The Hawks allowed Delaware State to convert 21 of 60 attempts from the field which left them shooting 35.0% in the matchup. They finished 0.0% from three-point range by connecting on 0 out of 8 and finished the game at 16 of 21 from the free throw line (76.2%). When discussing team rebounding, Saint Joseph's allowed Delaware State to grab 29 in all (8 offensive).

Erik Reynolds II ended up having an impact for the Hawks in the game. He converted 6 of 16 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 37.5%, and accumulated 3 rebounds. He had 22 points in his 37 mins of playing time and accounted for 4 assists in the matchup.

Saint Joseph's has a win-loss record of 9-4 on the campaign. The Hawks are responsible for committing 13.8 personal fouls every game while shooting 75.5% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 17.0 times per contest (41st in college) and they turn it over 12.2 times per game. Saint Joseph's has tallied 993 pts on the campaign (76.4 per contest) and they snag 35.9 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Hawks are connecting on 45.6% from the floor, which is 160th in D-1.

The Saint Joseph's defense gives up 31.3% on 3-point attempts (85 of 272) and their opponents are making 78.2% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 12.9 assists and 34.0 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 174th and 166th in college hoops. The Hawks on defense are ranked 97th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 67.6. They are forcing their opponents into 12.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 40.9% from the field (86th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UMass

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