South Florida Bulls vs Portland Pilots NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 11/21/24

Looking to win big? The Bulls and Pilots face off at 2:30 ET on ESPN2. The Pilots are hosting the game at The HTC Center in Conway, SC. South Florida is favored by -9.5 in this non-conference contest against Portland. The game’s over/under currently sits at 145.5 points.

SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS VS PORTLAND PILOTS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Portland Pilots +9.5

This game will be played at The HTC Center at 2:30 ET on Thursday, November 21st.

WHY BET THE PORTLAND PILOTS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 74-73 in favor of the Bulls.
• Even though we have South Florida winning straight-up, we like Portland at +9.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 145.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 147 points.

Does South Florida Have A Chance at The HTC Center?

South Florida moved to 2-0 on the season with a 74-55 win over West Georgia on Friday. The Bulls, who were -18.5 point favorites, covered the spread with the victory.

USF led 37-24 at halftime and scored 37 points in the 2nd half while allowing 31. The game’s total points of 129 fell short of the 153.5 O/U line.

South Florida put up 74 points in their last game, shooting 50.9% from the field. They were especially strong inside, hitting 67.6% of their two-point attempts, while struggling from beyond the arc, making just 5 of 21 threes for a 23.8% rate.

Shelton Williams-Dryden led the way with 20 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 50% from the field. Jimmie Williams added 14 points in 19 minutes, and Kolten Griffin contributed 13 points and 9 boards, despite shooting just 30.8% overall.

South Florida’s defense gave up 55 points, with the opposing team shooting 50% from the field, hitting 28 of their 55 attempts. Inside the arc, they were particularly effective, converting 67% of their two-point shots with a 23/34 performance.

From three-point range, South Florida held their opponent to 5/21 shooting, or 23%. The other team also went 13/18 from the free-throw line, making 72% of their attempts. South Florida allowed 8 offensive rebounds.

Do the Pilots Have a Shot at a Home Win?

Portland picked up a 63-61 road win over Long Beach State on Saturday, November 16th. The Pilots, who were +4.5 point underdogs, not only pulled off the upset but also covered the spread. The total points for the game came in at 124, falling short of the O/U line of 141.

Portland led 35-30 at halftime and managed to hold on for the win despite being outscored 31-28 in the 2nd half.

In their latest game, the Portland Pilots managed 63 points, shooting 42.3% from the field and hitting 8 of 20 from three-point range for a 40% success rate. Their effective field goal percentage was 50%, and they connected on 64.7% of their free throws, going 11 for 17 from the line.

Austin Rapp led the way with 18 points, knocking down 5 of 8 threes at a 62.5% clip. Cam Denson added 15 points and 9 rebounds, shooting 71.4% overall and 66.7% from deep. The Pilots recorded 10 offensive rebounds and 12 assists in the game.

Portland’s defense held their opponent to 61 points, with a field goal percentage of 38% (21/55). They limited two-point shooting to 42% (12/28).

From beyond the arc, the opponent shot 33% (9/27). Portland also sent them to the line 19 times, where they made 10 free throws (52%).