The Belmont Bruins (15-6) will attempt to keep their eight-game winning streak alive when they meet the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (8-15) at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 28.
The Gamecocks enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Morehead State 78-74 on Sunday. Greg Tucker was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points on 5-for-9 shooting. The Bruins, meanwhile, are coming off a 103-95 win against Tennessee State on Sunday. Evan Bradds claimed his 10th double-double of the season with 36 points and 11 rebounds.
Belmont takes on Jacksonville State as a nine-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 159 points. The Gamecocks have gone 8-15 Straight Up (SU) and 10-7 Against The Spread (ATS). The Gamecocks are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 8.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the Jacksonville State offense, which averages just 10.9 turnovers per game.
Over on the other bench, the Bruins have 15-6 SU and 9-8-1 ATS records. Offensively, they average 83.1 points per game, which is good for 17th in the country. The Bruins convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking 49th in the nation at .732.
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Jacksonville State came out on top, but the win was not enough to overtake Belmont in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 3-7 SU over the last few meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 3-3 record. Belmont held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Jacksonville State never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – JacSt, ATS Winner – JacSt, O/U – Over
Notes
Jacksonville State is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games.
Jacksonville State is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Belmont.
Belmont sits at a perfect 7-0 SU record against the Ohio Valley Conference, while Jacksonville State has split its meetings against the conference (4-4).
Belmont is one of the top-scoring teams on the road, averaging 80.0 points per game (ranked 16th). Jacksonville State, on the other hand, allows 69.3 points per home game (ranked 197th).
Belmont beats Jacksonville State in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Bruins average 73.2 possessions and 1.135 points per possession, while the Gamecocks average 66.6 possessions with 1.052 points per possession.
The Belmont Bruins have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the country with an eFG% of 58.3%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks have a losing 1-3 record.
On average, Jacksonville State attempts 22.0 three pointers and Belmont attempts 28.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks have a 6-10 record while the Belmont Bruins have a winning 13-6 record.
Belmont ranks 76th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.23. Jacksonville State is ranked lower at 101st with an A/TO of 1.18.
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks make an average of 5.2 steals per game. When the Belmont Bruins allow 5 or more steals, they are a solid 13-6.
