Virginia Cavaliers vs SMU Mustangs Prediction, 12/7/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Virginia Cavaliers vs SMU Mustangs

Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024

Location: Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Virginia Cavaliers (5-3) are hitting the road to Moody Coliseum on Saturday where they will go up against the SMU Mustangs (7-2).

The Virginia Cavaliers faced off with Florida and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 87-69 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Cavaliers walked away with 17 while Florida accounted for 12 personal fouls. They made 10 out of their 25 shots from beyond the perimeter. Florida ended up going 71.4% when shooting free throws by knocking down 15 of their 21 shots. In addition, Florida collected 30 boards (11 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Florida distributed 14 dimes and had 9 steals in this contest. In reference to the defense, Virginia allowed their opponent to shoot 51.7% from the floor on 31 of 60 shooting. They also dished out 14 assists in this matchup while forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and getting 2 steals. With respect to pulling down boards, they collected 30 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Cavaliers buried 9 of 10 tries for a percentage of 90.0%. Virginia finished the contest with a 45.6% FG percentage (26 out of 57) and knocked down 8 of their 21 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Elijah Saunders is one guy who was a factor in the game. He finished shooting 50.0% from the floor and earned 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 33 mins and also snagged 5 rebounds. He totaled 19 points on 6 out of 12 shooting.

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Virginia heads into this game with a mark of 5-3 this season. They average 63.0 points per contest (349th in Division 1) while going 44.9% from the floor. The Cavaliers are hitting 38.7% on three-point shots (67 of 173) and 71.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, Virginia is grabbing 32.1 rebounds per contest and has racked up 115 assists on the year, which has them ranked 206th in the nation in terms of passing. They cough up possession 12.3 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 13.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Cavaliers are able to force 9.6 turnovers per game and they draw 13.6 fouls. They are 76th in the country in giving up assists to the opposition with 91 conceded so far this year. The Cavaliers defense is allowing a FG percentage of 40.4% (182 of 451) and they relinquish 32.1 boards per game as a unit. They surrender 34.2% from beyond the arc while they are 24th in college basketball in points per game allowed (62.3).

When they last stepped on the court, the SMU Mustangs walked away with a victory by a final of 101-72 against Alabama State. The Mustangs earned 34 defensive boards and 15 offensive rebounds totaling 49 for this contest. They also turned the ball over 8 times, while recording 7 steals in this contest. Alabama State committed 25 personal fouls for this contest which got the Mustangs to the charity stripe for a total of 34 attempts. They were able to bury 25 of the free throws for a percentage of 73.5%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, SMU made 10 of 29 tries (34.5%). When the final whistle was blown, the Mustangs walked away from this one shooting 33 for 69 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.8%. The Mustangs permitted Alabama State to knock down 24 out of 69 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 34.8% in this game. They finished shooting 31.7% from three-point range by connecting on 13 out of 41 and ended up shooting 11 out of 16 at the free throw line (68.8%). In regard to how they rebounded, SMU allowed Alabama State to get 29 overall (9 on the offensive glass).

Kario Oquendo pitched in for the Mustangs for this game. He accumulated 20 points in his 16 mins of playing time, but finished this game without an assist. He converted 7 of 8 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 87.5%, and totaled 2 rebounds.

SMU has a record of 7-2 so far this season. The Mustangs have committed 17.9 personal fouls every game and they shoot 74.7% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 16.4 times per contest (61st in college basketball) and they are giving up possession 11.2 times per contest. SMU has earned 795 points on the year (88.3 per contest) and they grab 43.3 boards per game. As an offensive team, the Mustangs are hitting on 48.1% from the field, which is ranked 65th in the country.

The SMU defense gives up 33.6% on shots from 3-point land (79 of 235) and their opponents are connecting on 72.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 13.9 dimes and 33.0 boards every game, which has them ranked 252nd and 109th in those defensive categories. The Mustangs on the defensive side of the court are 205th in college hoops in PPG given up with 71.8. They are forcing their opponents into 12.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 38.9% from the field (48th in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take SMU

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