Belmont Bruins vs Tennessee State Tigers Prediction, 12/18/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Belmont Bruins vs Tennessee State Tigers

Date: Friday, December 18, 2020

Location: Gentry Center in Nashville, TN

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Belmont (-9.5)

The Belmont Bruins (6-1) go to Gentry Center on Friday where they'll take on the Tennessee State Tigers (0-2). Belmont opens this game as 9.5-point favorites. The O/U opens at 144.5.

Belmont steps onto the court with a mark of 6-1 for the campaign. The Bruins are shooting 33.2% on shots from downtown (62 of 187) and 70.7% from the charity stripe. They average 78.9 pts per contest (85th in the country) while connecting on 46.8% from the field. They are losing possession via turnover 13.1 times per contest and as a basketball team they are committing 16.0 fouls every game. As a unit, Belmont is pulling in 36.6 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 101 dimes so far this year, which is 51st in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. On defense, the Bruins are forcing their opponents into 14.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 21.3 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 234th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 80 surrendered so far this season. The Bruins defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.8% (183 of 438) and they surrender 38.6 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are conceding 29.9% from 3-point land and they are 174th in the nation in PPG allowed (70.0).

The Belmont Bruins played the Kennesaw State Owls and took home the win by a score of 64-53 in their last contest. Belmont finished the game having earned a 48.1% field goal percentage (25 of 52) and knocked down 6 of 16 3-pointers. At the charity stripe, the Bruins made 8 of their 13 attempts for a rate of 61.5%. With respect to grabbing boards, they earned a total of 35 with 2 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 12 dimes in this game in addition to getting 3 steals and 3 blocked shots. When talking about defense, Belmont allowed their opponent to shoot 48.1% from the floor on 25 of 52. Kennesaw State distributed 6 assists and 8 steals for the contest. Moreover, the Owls snagged 36 rebounds (9 offensive, 27 defensive) and earned 3 blocked shots. Kennesaw State finished the game at 66.7% at the charity stripe by converting 8 of 12 shots. They also made 7 of 27 shots from downtown.

Luke Smith is someone who saw a lot of action for this game. He ended up with 14 points on 4 out of 8 shooting. He was on the court for 35 mins played and collected 4 rebounds. Smith went 50.0% from the field and also recorded 2 dimes. An additional guy that was a major factor in the game for the Bruins was Nick Muszynski. He grabbed 6 rebounds and also collected 4 assists. He finished 64.7% from the floor in this game by shooting 11-of-17 (25 points). Overall, Muszynski played 33 min.

Tennessee State has a mark of 0-2 on the season. The Tigers commit 28.5 fouls every game and they connect on 53.8% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 11.5 times per contest (268th in college basketball) and they cough up possession 15.5 times per game. Tennessee State has 130 points so far this year (65.0 per contest) and they pull down 43.0 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Tigers are connecting on 38.6% from the floor, which is 322nd in college basketball. The Tigers on the defensive end are ranked 238th in college basketball in points allowed per contest with 74.0. The Tennessee State defense allows 39.5% on 3-point attempts (17 of 43) and opponents are converting on 67.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 13.0 dimes and 41.5 boards per contest, which is 186th and 304th in those defensive categories. They are able to force 16.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 39.3% from the field (77th in D-1).

When they last played, the Tennessee State Tigers went home defeated by a final of 69-66 when they played the IUPUI Jaguars. The Tigers corralled 29 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 in this contest. They stuffed 3 attempts while earning 8 steals in this contest. The Jaguars were called for 16 fouls in this game which got the Tigers to the charity stripe for 15 tries. They were able to knock down 9 of them for a rate of 60.0%. Regarding shooting from beyond the arc, Tennessee State knocked down 3 out of their 17 tries (17.6%). When the final whistle blew, the Tigers went 27 out of 69 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 39.1%. The Tigers allowed the Jaguars to convert 22 of their 60 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 36.7% for this game. They went 35.0% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 7 of 20 and finished the contest at 18 of 27 from the free throw line (66.7%). Regarding rebounding, Tennessee State permitted IUPUI to pull down 38 in all (10 on the offensive side).

Shakem Johnson ended up having an impact for the Tigers in the matchup. He made 8 out of 13 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 61.5%, which got him 17 points. Johnson pulled down 8 boards in his 35 minutes and totaled 2 dimes in the matchup. One more player that was pivotal for Tennessee State was Mark Freeman. He ended up with 14 points in 35 minutes on the hardwood by way of 5 out of 15 from the floor in the game. Freeman finished going 33.3% from the field while collecting 3 assists and 5 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Tennessee State (+9.5)

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