The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will be at Dale F. Halton Arena to play the Charlotte 49ers in a Conference USA matchup. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 14.
The 49ers lost a winnable game to Louisiana Tech 93-90 the last time they played. Joseph Uchebo recorded 18 points and 20 rebounds, earning his fourth double-double of the year. The Blue Raiders are coming off a 79-71 win over Texas San Antonio in their last outing. Giddy Potts shot 8 for 18 and led in scoring with 26 points.
Uchebo has been playing at a high level as of late for the 49ers, averaging 15.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 block over the last five games. Reggie Upshaw has also been on fire in the same span, averaging 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.4 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers while leading the Blue Raiders.
Charlotte is a slight underdog, with Middle Tennessee favored by two. The Over/Under (O/U) is 145 points. Despite a 4-11 Straight Up (SU) record, the 49ers have fared well Against The Spread (ATS) with a 9-5 record. They have been better ATS (7-2) than SU (3-7) over their last 10 games.
On the other side, Middle Tennessee has a SU record of 10-5 and an ATS record of 6-7-1. The Blue Raiders have established a reputation of cleaning up the defensive glass with 28.3 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the top teams in the nation.
The conference rivals will be facing off in their first head-to-head contest of the season. When they last met the Blue Raiders were winners, moving their SU record against Charlotte to 3-0. The Blue Raiders also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 2-0-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Char, ATS Winner – Char, O/U – Over
Notes
Charlotte is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Charlotte’s last 5 games.
Middle Tennessee holds a 2-1 SU record against the Conference USA Conference this season, while Charlotte has a losing 1-2 SU record against the conference.
The Charlotte 49ers average 71.9 possessions per game and 1.021 points per possession, while the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders earn fewer possessions (69.7) but more points per possession (1.027).
The Charlotte 49ers average an effective field goal percentage of 47.0% this season. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have a winning 5-3 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 47.0% or greater.
On average, Charlotte attempts 20.0 three pointers and Middle Tennessee attempts 21.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Charlotte 49ers have a 1-4 record while the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have a solid 7-3 record.
On average, Charlotte makes 5.9 steals per game. Middle Tennessee has a solid 7-4 record when it gives up at least 5 steals.
