FIU Panthers vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Prediction, 1/9/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: FIU Panthers vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Date: Thursday, January 9, 2025

Location: Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, LA

TV: ESPN+

The FIU Panthers (7-8) are traveling to Thomas Assembly Center on Thursday where they will play the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (11-4).

The FIU Panthers stepped onto the hardwood against Western Kentucky and took home the win by a score of 85-66 in their last game. FIU finished the contest having earned a 46.6% FG percentage (27 out of 58) and converted 11 of their 22 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Panthers converted 20 of their 25 shots for a rate of 80.0%. When it comes to rebounding, they earned 36 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 16 assists in this matchup as well as forcing 20 turnovers and having 16 steals. In the matter of defending, FIU let their opponent shoot 36.8% from the floor on 21 of 57 shooting. Western Kentucky doled out 9 assists and had 20 steals in this contest. On top of that, Western Kentucky collected 20 boards (6 offensive, 14 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Western Kentucky ended up shooting 83.3% from the charity stripe by making 20 of their 24 shots. They also buried 4 of 22 tries from downtown. Concerning personal fouls, the Panthers ended up with 19 and Western Kentucky accounted for 19 personal fouls.

Asim Jones is someone who was a factor in this contest. He ended up going 50.0% from the floor and recorded 3 dimes. He saw the court for 31 minutes played and also snagged 3 rebounds. He scored 17 points on 4 of 8 shooting.

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FIU enters this one with a mark of 7-8 so far this season. They are giving up possession 13.9 times per game and as a unit are committing 17.9 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, FIU is collecting 36.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 222 assists for the year, which has them ranked 142nd in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Panthers are shooting 32.1% on three-point attempts (89 of 277) and 70.9% from the free throw line. They are averaging 74.6 points per outing (205th in the nation) while connecting on 45.3% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Panthers are forcing 15.7 turnovers per game and they draw 17.3 fouls. They are 239th in D-1 in giving up assists with 207 surrendered on the season. The Panthers defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 42.4% (365 of 861) and they surrender 34.7 rebounds per game as a squad. They are giving up 29.8% on shots from downtown while they are 148th in college hoops in opponents PPG (70.1).

The last time they took the court, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs took a defeat with a final score of 78-48 against New Mexico State. The Bulldogs were able to snag 19 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 27 in this matchup. They also gave up possession 10 times, while recording 1 steal for the contest. New Mexico State was called for 11 personal fouls in this contest which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 10 attempts. They were able to make 7 of the free throws for a clip of 70.0%. In the matter of shots from beyond the perimeter, Louisiana Tech converted 7 out of their 33 attempts (21.2%). When the final whistle was blown, the Bulldogs finished 17 for 54 from the field which had them sitting at 31.5%. The Bulldogs permitted New Mexico State to make 30 out of 54 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 55.6% for the matchup. They went 47.8% from 3-point land by connecting on 11 out of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 7 out of 12 at the free throw line (58.3%). When talking about how they rebounded, Louisiana Tech permitted New Mexico State to snag 31 in total (7 on the offensive glass).

Sean Elkinton was important for the Bulldogs in this contest. He made 4 out of 9 in this matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 44.4%, and tallied 3 rebounds. He totaled 12 points in his 20 minutes on the hardwood, but didn't record an assist.

Louisiana Tech has a win-loss record of 11-4 this season. As an offense, the Bulldogs are shooting 49.0% from the floor, which ranks them 34th in the nation. Louisiana Tech has accounted for 1,155 points on the season (77.0 per game) and they collect 37.2 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 16.9 times per game (46th in D-1) and they cough up possession 13.3 times per contest. The Bulldogs are committing 14.0 personal fouls per contest while shooting 75.5% from the free throw line.

The Louisiana Tech defense gives up 30.7% on shots from behind the 3-point line (118 of 384) and their opponents are connecting on 66.2% of their foul shots. They have allowed 13.0 assists and 32.5 total boards per game, which is 186th and 87th in college. The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 96th in college in points per game surrendered with 67.9. They are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 40.6% from the field (68th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Louisiana Tech

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