MTSU Blue Raiders vs UTEP Miners Prediction, 3/4/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs UTEP Miners

Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023

Location: Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX

TV: ESPN+

The MTSU Blue Raiders (18-11) are headed to Don Haskins Center on Saturday where they will take on the UTEP Miners (13-16).

The MTSU Blue Raiders faced Louisiana Tech and earned the victory with a final of 63-49 in their last game. When talking about personal fouls, the Blue Raiders ended up finishing with 12 while Louisiana Tech recorded 12 personal fouls. They also made 3 out of their 18 tries from beyond the perimeter. Louisiana Tech ended up shooting 80.0% at the free throw line by burying 8 of 10 attempts. In addition, Louisiana Tech pulled down 38 boards (14 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Louisiana Tech doled out 6 assists and had 6 steals for the matchup. With regard to defending, MTSU allowed the other team to go 27.5% from the floor on 19 of 69 shooting. They also recorded 13 assists for the game as well as forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and having 3 steals. When discussing rebounding, they compiled 36 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Blue Raiders made 12 of their 18 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. MTSU walked away from the game with a 40.4% field goal percentage (21 out of 52) and knocked down 9 out of their 28 shots from downtown.

Elias King is one player who was a contributor in this game. He shot 50.0% from the field and dished out 1 assist. He played 31 mins and also pulled down 10 boards. He racked up 13 points on 5 of 10 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks

MTSU heads into this matchup with a mark of 18-11 for the campaign. They average 71.3 points per game (187th in D-1) while hitting 45.9% from the floor. The Blue Raiders are connecting on 33.9% on three-point shots (202 of 595) and 68.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, MTSU is grabbing 33.9 boards per contest and is sitting with 328 assists for the campaign, which is 332nd in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 13.4 times per contest and as a basketball team they are committing 17.6 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end of the court, the Blue Raiders are forcing 15.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 15.5 personal fouls. They are conceding 35.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 108th in D-1 in opponents points per game (67.7). The Blue Raiders defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 44.2% (695 of 1,571) and they concede 31.9 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 41st in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 315 conceded this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the UTEP Miners walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 75-49 against Florida Atlantic. With respect to rebounds, UTEP permitted Florida Atlantic to get 34 overall (9 offensive). They finished shooting 42.3% from 3-point land by shooting 11 of 26 and finished the game at 10 out of 16 at the free throw line (62.5%). The Miners allowed Florida Atlantic to convert 27 of their 55 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 49.1% for the contest. When all was said and done, the Miners went 18 out of 54 from the floor which had them at 33.3%. When it comes to shooting from 3-point land, UTEP made 1 out of 10 attempts (10.0%). They were able to bury 12 of those for a clip of 80.0%. Florida Atlantic was called for 17 fouls for the contest which got the Miners to the charity stripe for 15 tries. They coughed it up 13 times, while recording 6 steals in this contest. The Miners earned 19 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 30 for the game.

Calvin Solomon ended up being a major contributor for the Miners in this contest. He earned 13 points in his 25 minutes of playing time and had 1 assist for this game. He converted 6 out of 10 in the game for a field goal rate of 60.0%, and earned 5 rebounds.

UTEP has a win-loss mark of 13-16 on the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Miners are hitting on 44.7% from the field, which is ranked 183rd in the nation. UTEP has accounted for 1,980 pts on the year (68.3 per game) and they pull in 35.1 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 11.7 times per contest (299th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 15.7 times per game. The Miners are committing 18.0 fouls every game while shooting 63.3% from the charity stripe.

The UTEP defense allows 33.2% on shots from beyond the arc (197 of 593) and their opponents are connecting on 73.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 10.7 assists and 32.8 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 36th and 97th in those defensive categories. The Miners on defense are ranked 130th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 68.3. They are forcing their opponents into 16.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.3% from the field (224th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UTEP

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