The Belmont Bruins (14-6) and the Ohio Valley’s eighth-ranked offense welcome the Tennessee State Tigers (14-4) and the top-ranked defense in the conference. Action begins at 5:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 24.
The Bruins enter this game hoping for similar success after topping UT Martin 82-72 on Thursday. Amanze Egekeze was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Tigers, meanwhile, are coming off a 73-71 win against Murray State on Saturday. Tahjere McCall led the team in scoring by registering 18 points on 4-for-9 shooting.
McCall has been hot for the Tigers, averaging 16.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.4 steals, and 0.8 three-pointers over the past five games.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Belmont, a substantial 11-point favorite, takes on Tennessee State. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 149 points. The Bruins have gone 14-6 Straight Up (SU) and 9-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bruins are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc.
Over on the other bench, the Tigers have 14-4 SU and 5-3-1 ATS records. Tennessee State performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 5-2 record.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Bruins victory, bumping their SU record to 9-1 over Tennessee State in their most recent meetings. On the other hand, Tennessee State holds the advantage ATS with a record of 5-2. Belmont held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times, while Tennessee State was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – TennSt, ATS Winner – TennSt, O/U – Over
Notes
Belmont is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Belmont is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Belmont is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tennessee State.
The Belmont Bruins and the Tennessee State Tigers both hold perfect records against the Ohio Valley Conference. Belmont is 6-0 SU and Tennessee State is 5-0.
Belmont averages 86.0 points per home game (ranked 30th). Tennessee State allows 69.4 points per away game (ranked 58th).
The Belmont Bruins rank 52nd for their offensive rating of 112.7. The Tennessee State Tigers have a defensive rating of 95.5 (ranked 39th).
The Belmont Bruins have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 17th in the nation with a FG% of 48.9%. The Tennessee State Tigers are undefeated with a 1-0 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
The Belmont Bruins rank lower for their field goal percentage (17th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (fifth), but the Tennessee State Tigers have a better FG% ranking (126th) than eFG% ranking (174th).
The Belmont Bruins rank 23rd in assists per game with an average of 17.1. The Tennessee State Tigers are among the worst in the country with 11.5 assists per game (ranked 301st).
Tennessee State, the 96th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.3 rebounds per game. Belmont does worse, ranked 228th with 35.6.
Tennessee State ranks 134th in offensive rebounds, while Belmont ranks at 62nd in defensive rebounds.
On average, Belmont forces a turnover rate of 16.9%. When Tennessee State turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a dazzling 12-3 record.
