Saturday, March 18, 2017

KeyBank Center

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The 12 seed Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders travel to KeyBank Center to play the 4 seed Butler Bulldogs on Saturday, March 18, 2017 in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. The opening line for this game has Butler as 4 point favorites.

The Blue Raiders finished the regular season with an overall record of 27-4. They are 24-10 against the spread and their over/under record is 10-19. The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a record of 23-7. They have an over/under record of 13-12 and they are 18-12 against the spread.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other NCAA basketball games check out our handicapping tips.

Jacorey Williams comes into this contest averaging 17.2 points per game while playing 29.7 minutes per night so far this season for the Blue Raiders. He pulls down 7.3 rebounds per game and dishes out 1.5 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 53% while his free throw percentage is currently at 70%. Giddy Potts averages 15.8 points per game in 30.4 minutes per contest this season. He averages 1.9 assists per contest and 5.4 rebounds per game for Middle Tennessee State. His field goal percentage is 49% for the year while his free throw percentage is 81%.

Kelan Martin averages 15.9 points per game while playing 28.8 minutes per contest this year for the Bulldogs. He grabs 5.8 rebounds per game and has 1.1 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 42% and his free throw percentage currently is at 77%. Andrew Chrabascz averages 11.0 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 32.8 minutes per contest. He also averages 4.6 rebounds per contest and 3.2 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 45% and his free throw percentage is 75%.

Middle Tennessee State averages 75.2 points per contest this season which ranks them 123rd in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 11.6 and their shooting percentage is 49% as a team which has them ranked 11th. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 82nd in the country. They average 35.6 rebounds per game and 15.3 assists per game which ranks them 191st and 63rd in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 341st with 10.4 per game. The Blue Raiders allow 63.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 23rd in the nation. They also allow a 42% shooting percentage and a 32% average from behind the arc ranking them 76th and 38th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 30.3 rebounds a game which ranks 10th and they give up 11.0 assists per contest which puts them in 25th place in the country. They force 13.3 turnovers per game which ranks them 191st in Division 1.

Butler averages 76.3 points per game this year which ranks them 105th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 8.0 and their shooting percentage is 48% as a team which has them sitting in the 34th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 108th in the nation. They average 32.4 rebounds per game and 13.3 assists per contest which ranks them 323rd and 193rd respectively. In the turnover department the Bulldogs rank 344th with 10.2 per game. The Bulldogs allow 68.3 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 76th in the country. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 193rd and 99th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 31.2 rebounds a game which ranks 21st and they give up 10.3 assists per contest which puts them in 10th place in the nation. The Bulldogs force 13.4 turnovers per game which ranks them 197th in college basketball.

The Blue Raiders are 30th in the nation in offensive rating at 112.7. They assist on 54.3% of their shots, which ranks 137th in the country. In terms of pace they average 66.5 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 303rd among D-1 teams. They are 40th in effective field goal percentage with 55%. As a team they are 60th in the country in true shooting percentage with 57% and they shoot 3 pointers on 30% of their shots. Middle Tennessee State turns the ball over an average of 13.6 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 10.1% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 54% places them 30th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 30.7%.

The Bulldogs are 26th in the nation in offensive rating at 112.9. They assist on 49.6% of their shots, which ranks 243rd in the country. In terms of pace they average 67.1 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 286th among D-1 teams. They are 39th in effective field goal percentage with 55%. As a team they are 32nd in the country in true shooting percentage with 58% and they shoot 3 pointers on 38% of their shots. Butler turns the ball over an average of 13.5 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 9.1% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 50.9% places them 138th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 27.8%.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Betting Trends

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are 24-10 against the spread

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are 10-19 against the over/under

Butler Bulldogs Betting Trends

The Butler Bulldogs are 18-12 against the spread

The Butler Bulldogs are 13-12 against the over/under

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Injuries

No key injuries to report

Butler Bulldogs Injuries

03/16/17 F Kelan Martin Knee probable Saturday vs. Middle Tenn St

Guy's Pick: Take Butler -4

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