Murray State Racers vs MTSU Blue Raiders Prediction, 11/16/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Murray State Racers vs MTSU Blue Raiders

Date: Saturday, November 16, 2024

Location: Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, TN

TV: ESPN+

Murphy Center is the site where the MTSU Blue Raiders (3-0) will try to beat the Murray State Racers (1-1) on Saturday.

The Murray State Racers faced off with Pittsburgh and took a loss by a final of 83-68 in their last contest. Murray State finished the contest having earned a 43.6% field goal percentage (24 out of 55) and converted 6 of 21 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the free throw line, the Racers converted 14 of 21 attempts for a rate of 66.7%. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they earned 25 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 10 dimes in the game in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and having 8 steals. With regard to the defense, Murray State allowed 50.9% from the field on 27 of 53 shooting. Pittsburgh doled out 9 assists and had 8 steals for the matchup. On top of that, Pittsburgh pulled down 34 rebounds (9 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Pittsburgh finished 63.6% at the charity stripe by knocking down 21 of their 33 tries. They also buried 8 of their 19 attempts from 3-point land. In relation to personal fouls, the Racers ended up finishing with 26 while Pittsburgh recorded 17 personal fouls.

Terence Harcum is one guy who was a major factor for the contest. He accounted for 15 points on 6 of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 34 mins and totaled 3 boards. He finished the contest at 42.9% from the floor and distributed 3 assists.

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Murray State will play this contest with a record of 1-1 on the campaign. They have an average of 90.5 points per contest (38th in college hoops) while shooting 53.3% from the field. The Racers are connecting on 43.5% on shots from distance (20 of 46) and 68.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Murray State is pulling in 38.0 boards per contest and has tallied 35 dimes for the year, which is 269th in the country in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.0 times per contest and as a team are committing 20.0 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Racers have forced 20.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.0 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 3rd in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 12 surrendered for the campaign. The Racers are giving up a field goal percentage of 37.6% (41 of 109) and they relinquish 32.0 boards per game as a squad. They are surrendering 29.0% from 3-point land and they rank 42nd in college basketball in PPG allowed (60.0).

The last time they took the court, the MTSU Blue Raiders went home victorious with a score of 80-63 against Evansville. The Blue Raiders earned 32 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 43 in this matchup. They also coughed up the ball 16 times, while getting 5 steals in this contest. Evansville had 18 fouls in this game which took the Blue Raiders to the charity stripe for 23 attempts. They were able to make 20 of the free throw tries for a rate of 87.0%. Concerning shots from downtown, MTSU converted 2 of 15 tries (13.3%). When this game wrapped up, the Blue Raiders finished 29 for 58 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. The Blue Raiders allowed Evansville to convert 21 out of 61 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 34.4% for this contest. They went 14.3% from distance by going 4 of 28 and ended up going 17 out of 25 at the free throw line (68.0%). In regard to rebounds, MTSU allowed Evansville to collect 26 overall (8 on the offensive glass).

Essam Mostafa ended up having an impact for the Blue Raiders in this game. He made 8 out of 9 for this game for a field goal rate of 88.9%, and earned 10 rebounds. He earned 18 points in his 25 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 3 dimes for the matchup.

MTSU has a record of 3-0 on the season. As an offense, the Blue Raiders are shooting 51.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 44th in college hoops. MTSU has 256 points for the campaign (85.3 per contest) and they pull down 44.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.7 times per contest (258th in college hoops) and they turn it over 12.7 times per game. The Blue Raiders are committing 21.3 fouls per game and they go 73.8% from the charity stripe.

The MTSU defense allows 14.5% on 3-pointers (9 of 62) and their opponents are knocking down 67.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 8.0 assists and 30.0 rebounds every game, which ranks them 24th and 50th in college hoops. The Blue Raiders defensively are ranked 21st in D-1 in points given up per game with 56.7. They are able to force 15.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 33.9% from the floor (14th in the country).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take MTSU

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