Kansas State vs North Florida 12/29/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The North Florida Ospreys will travel to Bramlage Coliseum to take on the Kansas State Wildcats this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The North Florida Ospreys won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 4-9 on the season after defeating the Trinity Baptist Eagles, 92-44, on December 18^th. North Florida dominated on both ends of the court and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a 39-17 lead. North Florida shot 52.4% from the field & 38.2% from beyond the arc while holding Trinity Baptist to just 26.4% shooting from the field & 13.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Ospreys was Jose Placer who had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, North Florida is averaging 69.5 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Ospreys are averaging 10.2 three-pointers per game on 36.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, North Florida has been led by Jose Placer (12.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg), Carter Hendrickson (10.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.7 apg), Jadyn Parker (8.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.9 bpg), & Emmanuel Adedoyin (7.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.8 apg).

Defensively, North Florida is allowing their opponents to average 72.8 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The Ospreys have a rebound margin of -6.1 and a turnover margin of -3.1.

The Kansas State Wildcats won their 3^rd straight game and improved to 8-3 on the season after defeating the McNeese Cowboys, 74-59, on December 21^st. Kansas State led by a 35-28 margin at halftime and was able to pull away in the 2^nd half after a 7-0 Wildcats run gave Kansas State a 66-49 lead with 4:03 left in regulation. Kansas State shot 47.2% from the field & 38.5% from beyond the arc while allowing McNeese to shoot 43.1% from the field & 35.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Markquis Nowell who had a double-double with 18 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, & 2 steals.

On the season, Kansas State is averaging 70.9 ppg on 44.3% shooting from the field. The Wildcats are averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game on 33.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Kansas State has been led by Nijel Pack (14.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.2 spg), Markquis Nowell (12.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2.1 spg), Mark Smith (9.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg), & Selton Miguel (8.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.0 apg).

Defensively, Kansas State is holding their opponents to an average of 59.5 ppg on 38.3% shooting from the field. The Wildcats have a rebound margin of 4.5 and a turnover margin of 1.8.

The Ospreys are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Wednesday games. The Wildcats are 4-1-2 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record and 5-2-1 ATS in their last 7 games.

North Florida have been able to pick up some wins behind some solid three-point shooting, however, the Ospreys have generally struggled on both ends of the court and come into this game ranked just 236^th in scoring offense & 275^th in scoring defense. Kansas State ranks just 206^th in scoring offense, however, the Wildcats have been great defensively this season and currently rank 24^th in scoring defense & defensive FG%.

North Florida has played a brutal schedule to start the season and the results have not been great as they have already suffered four 30+ point losses (UCLA, Kentucky, FAU, Florida). Kansas State has played better than I expected so far this season and as I think their defense keeps limits the Ospreys to around 50 points, I think the Wildcats do enough offensively to cover this large spread. Good Luck!