Air Force Falcons vs Fresno State Bulldogs Prediction, 1/18/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Air Force Falcons vs Fresno State Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025

Location: Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA

TV: ESPN+

The Air Force Falcons (3-14) are headed to Save Mart Center on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Fresno State Bulldogs (4-13).

The Air Force Falcons played Nevada and took a loss by a score of 68-62 in their last game. Air Force wrapped up the game having earned a 39.2% FG percentage (20 out of 51) and knocked down 10 of their 27 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Falcons made 12 of their 17 shots for a rate of 70.6%. In terms of getting rebounds, they compiled 27 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 15 assists for the contest as well as forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When it comes to defending, Air Force allowed the other team to shoot 55.3% from the floor on 26 out of 47 shooting. Nevada totaled 15 dimes and had 9 steals for this contest. Furthermore, Nevada snagged 31 boards (4 offensive, 27 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Nevada walked away from this one shooting 43.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 10 of 23 shots. They also made 6 of their 14 tries from 3-point range. When discussing fouls, the Falcons ended up finishing with 24 while Nevada finished the game with 15 fouls.

Ethan Taylor is a guy who was important for the matchup. He ended up walking away with 22 points on 8 of 16 shooting. He was on the court for 38 minutes and pulled down 6 boards. He finished shooting 50.0% from the floor and also recorded 1 assist.

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Air Force heads into this one with a record of 3-14 for the year. They average 63.1 pts per game (357th in the nation) while shooting 45.4% from the field. The Falcons are connecting on 34.7% on shots beyond the perimeter (137 of 395) and 60.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Air Force is grabbing 28.8 rebounds per game and has 235 dimes on the year, which ranks 197th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 13.4 times per game and as a unit they commit 17.3 fouls every game.

Defensively, the Falcons are forcing 11.4 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.2 personal fouls. They are giving up 37.2% on three-point shots and they are 122nd in the nation in PPG allowed (69.6). The Falcons are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.9% (428 of 913) and they surrender 33.4 boards per contest as a unit. They are ranked 106th in the country in allowing assists to their opponents with 204 surrendered so far this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Fresno State Bulldogs took a loss by a final score of 77-66 against Nevada. With respect to rebounding, Fresno State allowed Nevada to snag 48 overall (16 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 17.2% from beyond the arc by going 5 of 29 and walked away from this one shooting 18 out of 25 at the free throw line (72.0%). The Bulldogs allowed Nevada to make 27 out of 69 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 39.1% for the game. When the final whistle was blown, the Bulldogs ended up shooting 19 out of 55 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 34.5%. Concerning shots from beyond the arc, Fresno State converted 9 of 24 tries (37.5%). They were able to knock down 19 of those for a clip of 70.4%. Nevada had 22 fouls in this matchup which took the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 27 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 14 times, while recording 7 steals for the matchup. The Bulldogs recorded 26 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 32 in this contest.

David Douglas Jr. ended up having an impact for the Bulldogs in this matchup. He made 5 out of 14 for the contest for a rate of 35.7%, but didn't pull down a board. He totaled 16 points in his 18 minutes on the hardwood, but didn't record an assist.

Fresno State has a win-loss record of 4-13 on the season. The Bulldogs are committing 17.1 fouls every game and they go 66.3% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 11.4 times per contest (334th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 13.1 times per game. Fresno State has totaled 1,242 points for the year (73.1 per contest) and they grab 36.1 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Bulldogs are connecting on 40.2% from the field, which ranks them 348th in the nation.

The Fresno State defense concedes 33.4% on 3-point shots (147 of 440) and their opponents are converting on 71.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 16.2 dimes and 42.9 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 345th and 364th in college hoops. The Bulldogs are ranked 357th in college in PPG allowed with 82.5. They are forcing 14.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.8% from the floor (325th in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Air Force

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