Jacksonville vs Central Arkansas 3/3/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Central Arkansas Bears will travel to Swisher Gymnasium to take on the Jacksonville Dolphins this Thursday night in the Quarterfinals of the ASUN Championship.

The 3-seed (West) Central Arkansas Bears improved to 11-19 on the season after defeating the 6-seed (East) Stetson Hatters, 74-73, this past Tuesday in the 1^st round of the ASUN Championship. Central Arkansas trailed by a 60-47 margin midway through the 2^nd half, however, the Bears were outstanding down the stretch and was able to secure the victory after Collin Cooper hit a game-winning three-pointer for the Bears with just :11 seconds left in regulation. Central Arkansas shot 40.8% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Stetson to shoot 50.0% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bears was Eddy Kayouloud who had a double-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, & 1 steal.

On the season, Central Arkansas is averaging 73.3 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The Bears are averaging 6.8 three-pointers per game on 30.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Central Arkansas has been led by Camren Hunter (14.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.6 spg), Darious Hall (12.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.2 spg), Eddy Kayouloud (11.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.5 apg), & Collin Cooper (10.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.4 apg).

Defensively, Central Arkansas is allowing their opponents to average 81.2 ppg on 47.2% shooting from the field. The Bears have a rebound margin of -1.9 and a turnover margin of -1.2.

The Jacksonville Dolphins finished their regular season with an overall record of 19-9 and earned the 2-seed (East) in the ASUN Championship after finishing conference play with an 11-5 record. Jacksonville was led by their defense which currently ranks 4^th in scoring defense, 18^th in defensive FG%, & 10^th in rebound margin, however, the Dolphins offense has struggled to put up points as they come into this matchup ranked just 279^th in scoring offense. Jacksonville was 8-4 in their non-conference schedule with it’s most impressive win coming in a 77-48 victory over UNC Wilmington. Jacksonville started conference play with just a 3-3 record, however, was outstanding down the stretch as they won 8 of their last 10 games including a 73-69 victory over Liberty.

On the season, Jacksonville is averaging 67.0 ppg on 45.1% shooting from the field. The Dolphins are averaging 6.1 three-pointers per game on 35.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Jacksonville has been led by Kevion Nolan (14.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.5 spg), Bryce Workman (9.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Mike Marsh (8.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.3 apg), & Jordan Davis (8.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Jacksonville is holding their opponents to an average of 58.6 ppg on 39.0% shooting from the field. The Dolphins have a rebound margin of 7.8 and a turnover margin of 0.0.

The Bears are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games & 14-14 ATS overall on the season. The Dolphins are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS loss & 10-1 ATS in their last 11 home gams vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400.

Jacksonville defeated Central Arkansas in their only matchup of the season as the Dolphins defeated the Bears by a 79-59 margin at home in late January.

Central Arkansas has one of the worst defenses in the country, ranking just 348^th in scoring defense & 336^th in defensive FG%, and we have already seen Jacksonville be able to put up almost 80 points against them earlier this season. Jacksonville is 14-0 at home this season and as I think the Dolphins are going to be able to dominate on both ends of the floor in this one, I think the Dolphins win this one by 15+ and cover this spread. Good Luck!