Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 3/15/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Friday, March 15, 2024

Location: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN

TV: ESPN

The Tennessee Volunteers (24-7) will try to defeat the Mississippi State Bulldogs (19-12) at Bridgestone Arena on Friday in the SEC Tournament.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs stepped onto the hardwood against South Carolina and took a loss by a final of 93-89 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Bulldogs ended up walking away with 18 while South Carolina recorded 20 personal fouls. They made 9 of 28 attempts from distance. South Carolina finished the game at 83.3% when shooting free throws by making 20 of their 24 attempts. Additionally, South Carolina snagged 26 boards (9 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. South Carolina distributed 20 assists and had 6 steals in this contest. When it comes to defending, Mississippi State allowed 48.5% from the field on 32 out of 66 shooting. They also recorded 13 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and having 7 steals. Concerning getting rebounds, they collected 35 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Bulldogs buried 19 of their 25 shots for a rate of 76.0%. Mississippi State finished the game having earned a 50.0% FG percentage (31 of 62) and made 8 of their 20 shots from beyond the arc.

Josh Hubbard is a player who came through in this contest. He finished shooting 38.9% from the floor and also dished out 2 assists. He played 42 mins played and pulled down 2 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 28 points on 7 out of 18 shooting.

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Mississippi State comes into this game with a mark of 19-12 on the year. They turn it over 12.9 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 16.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Mississippi State is pulling down 38.7 boards per contest and has totaled 449 dimes so far this season, which ranks 116th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Bulldogs are hitting 32.9% on shots from beyond the arc (232 of 705) and 67.1% from the free throw line. They are averaging 75.3 pts per game (130th in the country) while hitting 45.5% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Bulldogs are forcing 12.3 turnovers per game and they draw 18.1 fouls. They give up 29.4% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 110th in college basketball in points per game from their opponents (69.6). The Bulldogs defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.9% (754 of 1,800) and they surrender 32.5 rebounds per contest as a team. They rank 65th in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 360 conceded on the year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Tennessee Volunteers took a defeat with a final score of 85-81 against Kentucky. In the matter of attacking the glass, Tennessee permitted Kentucky to snag 38 in all (8 on the offensive side). They went 51.7% from downtown via 15 out of 29 and finished the game at 16 out of 18 at the free throw line (88.9%). The Volunteers allowed Kentucky to knock down 27 out of their 59 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 45.8% in this matchup. When the game finished, the Volunteers went 28 out of 74 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 37.8%. In regard to 3-point attempts, Tennessee made 12 of 36 tries (33.3%). They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 68.4%. Kentucky committed 20 personal fouls in this contest which took the Volunteers to the charity stripe for 19 tries. They turned it over 7 times, while earning 9 steals in this game. The Volunteers snagged 21 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 in the matchup.

Dalton Knecht ended up being a factor for the Volunteers for this game. He earned 40 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 1 assist for the matchup. He knocked down 14 out of 29 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 48.3%, and totaled 4 rebounds.

Tennessee has a mark of 24-7 for the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Volunteers are connecting on 44.9% from the field, which is 166th in the nation. Tennessee has tallied 2,487 points on the year (80.2 per game) and they pull down 39.0 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 16.9 times per contest (19th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 10.2 times per game. The Volunteers commit 17.5 fouls per game and they connect on 74.8% from the charity stripe.

The Volunteers on defense are ranked 66th in Division 1 in PPG given up with 67.7. They are able to force 13.3 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 38.5% from the field (3rd in college hoops). The Tennessee defense surrenders 31.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter (239 of 761) and opponents are making 70.5% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 11.3 dimes and 35.4 rebounds per game, which ranks them 58th and 220th in college basketball.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Tennessee

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