The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (14-5) will attempt to keep their six-game winning streak alive when they meet the Marshall Thundering Herd (10-10) at Henderson Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 28.
The Thundering Herd enter this game hoping for similar success after edging Old Dominion 78-75 in their last matchup. James Kelly played a pivotal role, recording his 10th double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds. The Blue Raiders, meanwhile, are coming off an 87-73 win against Rice in their last game. Perrin Buford had a good game for Middle Tennessee, accounting for 23 points, eight rebounds, and three steals.
Jon Elmore and Kelly have been better than usual over the last five games for the Thundering Herd. During that stretch, Elmore has averaged 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 3.8 three-pointers, while Kelly has recorded 25.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers a game. Giddy Potts has upped his play for the Blue Raiders. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 21.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 4.2 three-pointers.
Second-chance opportunities could be few and far between for the Thundering Herd in this one. They rank 280th in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of just 26.7%), while Middle Tennessee is eighth-best in the nation on the defensive glass (DR% of 76.8%).
Marshall is a slim one-point favorite at home against Middle Tennessee. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 161 points for this matchup. The Thundering Herd come into this game 10-10 Straight Up (SU) and 12-7 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (9-1). The Thundering Herd have no trouble scoring as they rank 19th in the nation in offense with 82.6 points per game. Marshall is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 16.1 assists per game. Marshall’s defenders rank 45th in Division I in steals with 7.8 per game.
In the other locker room, the Blue Raiders have 14-5 SU and 9-8-1 ATS records. Defensive rebounding is an area where Middle Tennessee has excelled. The Blue Raiders average 26.2 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
The conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Middle Tennessee won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record to 3-1. With a 3-1 record, the Blue Raiders also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Marsh, ATS Winner – Marsh, O/U – Over
Notes
Marshall is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Marshall’s last 5 games at home.
Marshall and Middle Tennessee both hold winning records of 6-1 against the Conference USA Conference this season.
Middle Tennessee has allowed an average of 68.3 points per away game this season. Marshall averages 86.4 points per home game, ranking 23rd in scoring.
The Marshall Thundering Herd average 76.6 possessions and 1.079 points per possession in games this season. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders average fewer possessions with 69.2, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.052.
Marshall has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.6%. Middle Tennessee is a winning 2-1 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Marshall attempts 29.0 three pointers and Middle Tennessee attempts 20.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Marshall Thundering Herd are even at 10-10 while the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have a winning 8-3 record.
Marshall ranks 68th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.25. Middle Tennessee is ranked lower at 160th with an A/TO of 1.08.
Marshall records 7.8 steals per game. Middle Tennessee is 4-3 when giving up at least 7 steals.
