The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will host a showdown against the Belmont Bruins at Murphy Athletic Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Dec. 17.
The Blue Raiders enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Auburn 88-81 in their last matchup. Reggie Upshaw was a key piece, recording his second double-double of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds. The Bruins, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-54 win against Ouachita Baptist in their last game. Evan Bradds claimed his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
The odds for Middle Tennessee and Belmont are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 152 points. The Blue Raiders come into this game 6-2 Straight Up (SU) and 3-4-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams usually don’t get many offensive rebounds against the Blue Raiders, who are one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the country with an average of 29.8 per game.
In the other locker room, the Bruins have 7-4 SU and 5-3 ATS records. Offensively, they average 84.5 points per game, which is good for 30th in the country. The Bruins are an unselfish team with an average of 17.3 assists per game, ranking 38th in Division I.
These two meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Belmont won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 8-2. The teams are even ATS, with a 2-2 record. Middle Tennessee held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time, while Belmont was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Belmnt, ATS Winner – Belmnt, O/U – Over
Notes
Middle Tennessee is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
Middle Tennessee is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games at home.
Belmont averages 84.5 points per game (ranked 30th). Middle Tennessee, on the other hand, allows 67.9 points per game (ranked 118th).
The Belmont Bruins rank 52nd for their offensive rating of 114.3. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have a defensive rating of 95.2 (ranked 70th).
Middle Tennessee has an average field goal percentage of 44.4%. Belmont is 2-3 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the Belmont Bruins both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Middle Tennessee is 157th and 107th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Belmont is ninth and fourth in these categories.
Belmont ranks 38th in assists, recording 17.3 per game. Middle Tennessee performs worse at 148th with 14.0 assists per game.
Belmont ranks 341st in offensive rebounds, while Middle Tennessee ranks at 22nd in defensive rebounds.
On average, Belmont forces a turnover rate of 16.7%. When Middle Tennessee turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 4-2 record.
