The UTEP Miners will be at Murphy Athletic Center to square off against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in a Conference USA matchup. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7.
The Blue Raiders were beaten by UAB 78-67 on Sunday. Reggie Upshaw was the game’s high scorer, finishing with 21 points. The Miners, meanwhile, are coming off an 84-75 win over North Texas on Sunday. Hooper Vint had a good game and claimed his second double-double of the season, accumulating 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Upshaw has been playing at a high level for the Blue Raiders. During that stretch, he has averaged 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers. Dominic Artis has also been on a tear in the same span, averaging 15.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers while leading the Miners.
Second-chance opportunities are expected to be few and far between for the Miners in this contest. They rank 296th in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of 26.3%), while Middle Tennessee is 17th-best in the nation on the defensive backboards (DR% of 75.9%).
Middle Tennessee, an eight-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against UTEP. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 137 points. The Blue Raiders enter the game with records of 8-5 Straight Up (SU) and 6-5-1 Against The Spread (ATS). An area where the Blue Raiders are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 28.6 per game, 36th in Division I.
On the other side, UTEP has a SU record of 10-5 and an ATS record of 4-6-1. Most recently, UTEP is a meager 2-6-1 ATS over the last 10 games.
This is the first meeting of the season for the conference rivals. The last time they played, Middle Tennessee came out on top, but UTEP still leads the head-to-head record, 2-1 SU. Additionally, UTEP leads the matchup ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – UTEP, ATS Winner – UTEP, O/U – Over
Notes
Middle Tennessee is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games.
Middle Tennessee is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
UTEP is a perfect 2-0 SU against conference rivals, while Middle Tennessee is a winless 0-1 SU against its foes.
The UTEP Miners have a defensive rating of 95.4 (ranked 57th), while the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have an offensive rating of 101.0 (ranked 255th).
UTEP beats Middle Tennessee in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Miners average 73.0 possessions and 1.039 points per possession, while the Blue Raiders average 69.8 possessions with 1.010 points per possession.
UTEP has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.7%. Middle Tennessee is a losing 1-3 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders attempt 20.0 three point field goals per game and the UTEP Miners attempt 19.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Middle Tennessee has a winning 5-3 record, while UTEP is 3-4.
UTEP ranks 71st in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.26. Middle Tennessee is ranked lower at 231st with an A/TO of .96.
UTEP ranks 246th in offensive rebounds, while Middle Tennessee ranks at 36th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Middle Tennessee forces a turnover rate of 19.4%. When UTEP turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 2-1 record.
