MTSU Blue Raiders vs St. Mary's Gaels Prediction, 12/19/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs St. Mary's Gaels

Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Location: University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, CA

TV: ESPN+

The MTSU Blue Raiders (5-6) are traveling to University Credit Union Pavilion on Tuesday where they will try to defeat the St. Mary's Gaels (6-5).

The MTSU Blue Raiders faced Belmont and went home with a loss by a final score of 75-65 in their last contest. With respect to personal fouls, the Blue Raiders walked away with 14 while Belmont recorded 18 personal fouls. They converted 6 of 12 attempts from 3-point land. Belmont finished the game shooting 68.8% from the free throw line by making 11 of their 16 shots. Moreover, Belmont grabbed 28 rebounds (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't have a block. Belmont recorded 13 dimes and had 9 steals for this game. In reference to defense, MTSU allowed the other team to go 53.7% from the field on 29 of 54 shooting. They also recorded 12 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and getting 6 steals. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they earned 27 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Blue Raiders converted 14 of 23 attempts for a percentage of 60.9%. MTSU wrapped up the contest with a 40.0% field goal percentage (22 of 55) and converted 7 of their 23 3-point shots.

Elias King is someone who came through for this contest. He finished the contest at 50.0% from the floor and also distributed 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes and totaled 5 boards. He finished with 27 points on 9 out of 18 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Tonight

MTSU will enter this game with a record of 5-6 on the campaign. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per contest and as a team are committing 14.6 fouls per contest. As a team, MTSU is pulling down 35.6 rebounds per contest and has earned 107 dimes so far this season, which is 338th in college basketball in terms of passing. The Blue Raiders are hitting 28.1% on shots from distance (71 of 253) and 67.0% from the free throw line. They average 66.1 pts per game (329th in Division 1) while connecting on 40.3% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Blue Raiders are forcing 12.5 turnovers every game and they draw 18.9 fouls. They are ranked 114th in D-1 in giving up assists with 123 relinquished this year. The Blue Raiders are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 46.4% (284 of 612) and they concede 34.0 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are conceding 30.9% from 3-point land while they are 82nd in the country in opponents PPG (66.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the St. Mary's Gaels walked away with a victory by a final of 69-67 when they played UNLV. The Gaels pulled down 33 defensive rebounds and 28 offensive rebounds totaling 61 in this game. They turned the ball over 14 times, while earning 6 steals in this matchup. UNLV was called for 28 fouls for the matchup which got the Gaels to the free throw line for a total of 31 shots. They were able to make 18 of them for a percentage of 58.1%. In regard to shots from distance, St. Mary's converted 1 out of their 19 attempts (5.3%). Overall, the Gaels finished shooting 25 for 79 from the floor which had them sitting at 31.6%. The Gaels allowed UNLV to knock down 18 of 54 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 33.3% for the contest. They went 21.4% from beyond the arc by shooting 3 out of 14 and ended up shooting 28 of 37 from the free throw line (75.7%). With respect to how they cleaned up the glass, St. Mary's permitted UNLV to snag 30 in all (3 on the offensive side).

Mitchell Saxen pitched in for the Gaels in the game. He converted 8 out of 13 in the game for a rate of 61.5%, and added 16 rebounds. He earned 23 points in his 43 minutes of playing time and added 1 assist for the contest.

St. Mary's has a win-loss mark of 6-5 on the season. As an offense, the Gaels are hitting on 42.5% from the floor, which ranks them 279th in the nation. St. Mary's has totaled 762 points so far this season (69.3 per game) and they average 43.1 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 13.8 times per contest (172nd in Division 1) and they are turning it over 11.9 times per contest. The Gaels are responsible for committing 18.5 fouls per contest and they go 61.0% from the free throw line.

The Gaels on the defensive end are ranked 13th in college basketball in points given up per game with 61.2. They are forcing 11.4 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 38.5% from the floor (26th in college basketball). The St. Mary's defense concedes 29.6% on shots from distance (53 of 179) and their opponents are converting on 69.3% of their free throw attempts. They give up 9.7 dimes and 31.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 19th and 38th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take MTSU

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here