Jacksonville State vs Jacksonville 3/5/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 2-seed (East) Jacksonville Dolphins & 1-seed (West) Jacksonville State Gamecocks will square off at Pete Mathews Coliseum this Saturday night in the Semifinals of the ASUN Championship.

The 2-seed (East) Jacksonville Dolphins improved to 20-9 on the season after defeating the 3-seed (West) Central Arkansas Bears, 79-69, this past Thursday. Jacksonville was outstanding on the offensive end in the 1^st half against Central Arkansas and held a comfortable lead throughout the 2^nd half after going into halftime with a 44-33 lead. Jacksonville shot 50.0% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Central Arkansas to 46.3% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Dolphins was Kevion Nolan who had a double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Jacksonville is averaging 67.4 ppg on 45.3% 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, 3.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.4 spg), Bryce Workman (10.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Mike Marsh (8.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.3 apg), & Jordan Davis (8.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Jacksonville is holding their opponents to an average of 59.0 ppg on 39.3% shooting from the field. The Dolphins have a rebound margin of 7.6 and a turnover margin of 0.2.

The 1-seed (West) Jacksonville State Gamecocks improved to 21-9 on the season after defeating the 4-seed (East) Kennesaw State Owls, 78-67, this past Thursday. Jacksonville State has all they could handle from Kennesaw State, however, the Gamecocks were able to pull away for the victory in the 2^nd half after a strong offense performance that saw Jacksonville State put up 44 2^nd half points. Jacksonville State shot 52.9% from the field & 16.7% from beyond the arc while allowing Kennesaw State to shoot 40.0% from the field & 42.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for Gamecocks was Darian Adams who had 17 points & 5 assists.

On the season, Jacksonville State is averaging 74.7 ppg on 47.4% shooting from the field. The Gamecocks are averaging 9.4 three-pointers per game on 39.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Jacksonville State has been led by Darian Adams (15.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.5 spg), Jalen Gibbs (10.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.8 apg), Demaree King (10.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.1 apg), & Jalen Finch (8.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Jacksonville State is allowing their opponents to average 67.2 ppg on 40.9% shooting from the field. The Gamecocks have a rebound margin of 5.0 and a turnover margin of -1.5.

The Dolphins are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record & 18-6-1 ATS overall on the season. The Gamecocks are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.

Jacksonville State was able to defeat Jacksonville in their only matchup of the regular season in a 64-58 home victory in early February.

Jacksonville State has been solid on both ends of the court this season, however, even the Gamecocks offense high-scoring offense had all they could handle against a Jacksonville defense that comes into this game ranked 5^th in scoring defense & 19^th in defensive FG%. Jacksonville, despite ranking just 265^th in scoring offense, has shot the ball well this season, ranking 108^th in FG% & 100^th in 3P-FG%, and as I think the Dolphins defense keeps this game close, I think Jacksonville does enough with the points to get us a cover. Good Luck!