MTSU Blue Raiders vs UAB Blazers Prediction, 2/5/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs UAB Blazers

Date: Saturday, February 5, 2022

Location: Bartow Arena in Birmingham, AL

TV: ESPN+

The UAB Blazers (17-5) are hosting the MTSU Blue Raiders (14-6) at Bartow Arena on Saturday.

The MTSU Blue Raiders faced Western Kentucky and walked away with a win by a score of 93-85 in their last game. MTSU ended having earned a 57.4% FG percentage (31 of 54) and buried 15 of their 26 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Blue Raiders made 16 of 17 attempts for a percentage of 94.1%. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they compiled a total of 30 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 20 assists in the game while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and earning 6 steals. Regarding defense, MTSU allowed their opponent to shoot 45.9% from the field on 28 out of 61 shooting. Western Kentucky totaled 13 assists and had 13 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Western Kentucky grabbed 24 boards (8 offensive, 16 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Western Kentucky finished the game at 70.4% from the charity stripe by making 19 of their 27 attempts. They made 10 of their 24 tries from beyond the arc. In the matter of fouls, the Blue Raiders ended up finishing with 21 while Western Kentucky finished the game with 14 fouls.

Josh Jefferson is one player who was a major contributor in the matchup. He accounted for 31 points on 8 out of 11 shooting. He was on the court for 31 minutes and pulled down 3 rebounds. He shot 72.7% from the floor and also earned 1 assist.

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MTSU comes into this matchup with a mark of 14-6 so far this year. They turn the ball over 13.3 times per game and as a group are committing 18.9 fouls every game. As a unit, MTSU is snagging 35.3 rebounds per contest and has earned 252 dimes for the campaign, which is 242nd in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Blue Raiders are connecting on 30.7% on 3-point shots (160 of 521) and 73.9% from the charity stripe. They average 74.7 pts per contest (101st in the country) while going 44.8% from the field.

Defensively, the Blue Raiders are able to force 16.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.0 fouls. They are giving up 32.2% from beyond the arc and they are 102nd in college hoops in opponents points per game (66.3). The Blue Raiders defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.1% (452 of 1,074) and they relinquish 33.8 rebounds per game as a unit. They are 44th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 209 surrendered so far this year.

The last time they took the court, the UAB Blazers went home defeated by a final of 84-81 when they played Marshall. The Blazers were able to corral 17 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards for a total of 28 in this contest. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while earning 12 steals in the matchup. Marshall had 16 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Blazers to the charity stripe for a total of 18 tries. They were able to convert 17 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 94.4%. In reference to shooting from distance, UAB converted 6 out of 27 attempts (22.2%). When all was said and done, the Blazers finished 29 out of 69 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 42.0%. The Blazers permitted Marshall to convert 34 of their 62 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 54.8% in this game. They finished 33.3% from 3-point land by shooting 8 out of 24 and ended up going 8 out of 10 at the charity stripe (80.0%). In regard to how they cleaned up the glass, UAB permitted Marshall to get 31 in all (10 on the offensive side).

Jordan Walker ended up being a major contributor for the Blazers for the contest. He buried 9 of 18 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and had 3 rebounds. He totaled 36 points in his 35 minutes on the court and earned 2 dimes for the contest.

UAB has a win-loss mark of 17-5 on the year. The Blazers commit 16.4 fouls every game and they shoot 72.5% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 13.0 times per contest (189th in the nation) and they cough up possession 11.1 times per contest. UAB has 1,772 pts this year (80.5 per game) and they pull in 38.6 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Blazers are connecting on 46.3% from the field, which ranks 74th in college basketball.

The Blazers on the defensive end are ranked 50th in the country in points given up per game with 64.0. They have forced 17.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 40.6% from the field (60th in college hoops). The UAB defense allows 32.7% on shots from behind the 3-point line (147 of 450) and opponents are converting on 70.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 11.0 assists and 35.0 rebounds per game, ranking them 62nd and 195th in Division 1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take MTSU

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