The Belmont Bruins (20-9) and the Ohio Valley’s top-ranked offense head to Tennessee State to take on the Tigers (19-9) and the top-ranked defense in the conference. Action gets underway at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 28.
The Tigers were beaten by UT Martin 72-56 on Thursday. Tahjere McCall was the team’s leading scorer with 16 points. The Bruins are coming off a 95-86 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday. Evan Bradds had a big game, accounting for 21 points and 13 rebounds to claim his 14th double-double of the season.
Craig Bradshaw has been on fire over the last five games for the Bruins, averaging 20.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.6 three-pointers.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Bruins winning the first matchup 103-95. Bradds played a big role with 36 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tigers come into this game 19-9 Straight Up (SU) and 13-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Tennessee State has averaged 82.6 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 72.9. The Tennessee State defense has done poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 78.9 points per game, well above their season average of 68.2. Tennessee State’s defenders rank 44th in Division I in steals with 7.6 per game.
In the other locker room, Belmont has a SU record of 20-9 and an ATS record of 13-14-1. Belmont has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. The Bruins have been struggling of late. In their most recent 10 games, their scoring has dropped to 75.2 PPG, compared to 72.9 for the duration of the season. Belmont is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, hitting 10.0 shots from three-point range per game.
Following the Bruins’ latest win over Tennessee State, their SU record against Tennessee State moves to 9-1 over their most recent meetings. On the other hand, Tennessee State leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-2. Belmont held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five game, while Tennessee State wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – TennSt, ATS Winner – TennSt
Notes
Belmont is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 82.3 points per game (ranked 14th). Tennessee State allows 68.2 points per game (ranked 75th).
The Belmont Bruins rank 34th for their offensive rating of 114.0. The Tennessee State Tigers have a defensive rating of 98.7 (ranked 60th).
The Belmont Bruins have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the nation with a FG% of 49.2%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Tennessee State Tigers have a losing 1-2 record.
The Tennessee State Tigers rank higher based on their field goal percentage (109th) than their effective field goal percentage (172nd). The Belmont Bruins rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (fifth) than their field goal percentage (10th).
The Belmont Bruins rank 12th in assists per game, making an average of 17.1. The Tennessee State Tigers are among the worst in the country with 10.7 assists per game (ranked 332nd).
Tennessee State ranks 132nd in offensive rebounds, while Belmont ranks 80th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Belmont forces a turnover rate of 16.6%. When Tennessee State turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has an outstanding 16-5 record.
