Ohio Valley foes will lock horns when the Murray State Racers (7-7) face the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (10-5) at Regional Events Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7.
The Racers enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Morehead State 62-57 in their last matchup. Wayne Langston was a key piece, recording his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off an 86-63 win against SIUE in their last game. Ryan Martin was the game’s top scorer, accounting for 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
Murray State is a six-point favorite against Tennessee Tech and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 143 points. The Racers come into this game 7-7 Straight Up (SU) and 5-6 Against The Spread (ATS).
Over on the other bench, the Golden Eagles have records of 4-3-1 ATS and 10-5 SU. The Golden Eagles get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking 24th in the nation with 272 made (18.0 per game).
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Murray State came out on top, bumping its SU record to 9-1 over Tennessee Tech in their most recent meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Racers also have the advantage ATS. Murray State held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times, while Tennessee Tech was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – TnTech, ATS Winner – TnTech, O/U – Over
Notes
Murray State is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
Murray State is 21-3 SU in its last 24 games at home.
Murray State is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Tennessee Tech.
Tennessee Tech averages 79.7 points per game (ranked 61st). Murray State, on the other hand, allows 68.8 points per game (ranked 132nd).
Ranked 58th, the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles have an offensive rating of 112.3. The Murray State Racers rank 170th with a defensive rating of just 101.3.
Tennessee Tech has an average field goal percentage of 45.7%. Murray State is a subpar 1-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Murray State Racers rank higher based on their field goal percentage (177th) than their effective field goal percentage (206th). The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (79th) than their field goal percentage (100th).
Tennessee Tech ranks 72nd in assists, recording 15.6 per game. Murray State performs worse at 161st with 13.8 assists per game.
Tennessee Tech, the 59th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.9 per game. Murray State does worse, ranked 308th with 2.2.
Murray State has forced an average turnover percentage of 21.5% this season. Tennessee Tech is an even 1-1 when its TO% is 21.5% or higher.
