Lipscomb vs North Florida 3/1/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 5-seed North Florida Ospreys will travel to Allen Arena to take on the 4-seed Lipscomb Bison this Tuesday night in the 1^st round of the ASUN Championship.

The North Florida Ospreys finished their regular season with an overall record of 11-19 and earned the 5-seed (East Division) in the ASUN Championship after finishing conference play with 7-9 record. North Florida was led by their three-point offensive attack as the Ospreys ranked 22^nd in three-pointers made per game, however, the Ospreys overall struggled this season and come into this matchup ranked just 242^nd in scoring offense, 297^th in scoring FG%, & 232^nd in scoring defense. North Florida went just 4-9 in their non-conference schedule with only one victory over a D-I opponent. The Ospreys has a slow start to their conference schedule, losing 7 of their last 8 games, however, the Ospreys finished the season strong winning 6 of their last 8 games which included wins against Liberty & Florida Gulf Coast.

On the season, North Florida is averaging 68.6 ppg on 41.6% shooting from the field. The Ospreys are averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game on 33.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, North Florida has been led by Jose Placer (14.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg), Carter Hendricksen (12.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.7 apg), Jarius Hicklen (12.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.6 apg), & Emmanuel Adedoyin (6.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.4 apg). Jose Placer has missed the last few weeks due to a wrist injury and should be considered questionable for this matchup.

Defensively, North Florida is allowing their opponents to an average of 71.1 ppg on 42.2% shooting from the field. The Ospreys are averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game on 33.9% shooting from beyond the arc.

The Lipscomb Bisons finished their regular season with an overall record of 13-18 and earned the 4-seed (West Division) in the ASUN Championship after finishing conference play with a 6-10 conference record. Lipscomb was led by their offense which ranks 85^th in scoring offense, 69^th in FG%, & 84^th in three-pointers made per game, however, the Bisons struggled on the defensive end as they come into this matchup ranked just 336^th in scoring defense & 210^th in defensive FG%. Lipscomb started the season off strong, winning 5 of their first 7 games which included a win at Dayton, however, the rest of the season overall with a struggle. Lipscomb started conference play with just a 3-8 record, however, played better down the stretch, winning 3 of their last 5 games which included an 81-66 win against Central Arkansas this past Saturday.

On the season, Lipscomb is averaging 74.9 ppg on 46.2% shooting from the field. The Bisons are averaging 8.4 three-pointers per game on 35.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Lipscomb has been led by Ahsan Asadullah (14.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.0 bpg), Jacob Ognacevic (11.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg), Will Pruitt (9.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.7 apg), & Greg Jones (9.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 apg).

Defensively, Lipscomb is allowing their opponents to average 78.0 ppg on 43.8% shooting from the field. The Bison have a rebound margin of -0.2 and a turnover margin of -3.5.

The Ospreys are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 road games & 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Bisons are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.

Lipscomb defeated North Florida by a 77-74 margin at home in the only matchup of the regular season between the Bison and the Ospreys.

Lipscomb is always a tough team to face on their home court, however, it’s hard to trust the Bison with a defense that has just allowed points in bunches this season. North Florida picked up impressive road wins against Jacksonville State & Kennesaw State down the stretch and as I think the Ospreys will continue their recent ATS success on the road, I’m taking North Florida to cover this small road spread. Good Luck!