Murray State Racers vs UNI Panthers Prediction, 2/3/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Murray State Racers vs UNI Panthers

Date: Saturday, February 3, 2024

Location: McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, IA

TV: ESPN+

The Murray State Racers (8-14) are headed to McLeod Center on Saturday where they will try to defeat the UNI Panthers (12-10).

The Murray State Racers played Illinois State and took a loss by a score of 61-59 in their last contest. Murray State finished with a 43.1% field goal percentage (22 of 51) and knocked down 7 of 20 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Racers converted 8 of their 11 attempts for a percentage of 72.7%. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they earned 19 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 10 assists in this contest while forcing 13 turnovers and getting 5 steals. Pertaining to defending, Murray State let their opponent shoot 44.7% from the field on 21 of 47 shooting. Illinois State distributed 8 assists and had 5 steals for this game. Furthermore, Illinois State pulled down 37 rebounds (13 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't have a block. Illinois State finished shooting 87.5% from the free throw line by making 14 of 16 attempts. They made 5 of 17 attempts from distance. When it comes to fouls, the Racers ended up walking away with 14 and Illinois State had 12 fouls.

Nick Ellington is one guy who was a major contributor for the game. He finished with 13 points on 6 out of 7 shooting. He played for 31 minutes and also pulled down 5 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 85.7% from the field but wasn't able to get an assist.

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Murray State will play this contest with a record of 8-14 for the season. They are turning it over 9.6 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 15.3 fouls per game. As a team, Murray State is collecting 32.9 rebounds per game and has accounted for 273 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 206th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Racers are connecting on 32.9% on 3-point shots (154 of 468) and 69.5% from the charity stripe. They average 70.4 points per outing (276th in college hoops) while shooting 44.4% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Racers have forced 12.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.8 fouls. They are currently ranked 242nd in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 285 relinquished on the season. The Racers are giving up a FG percentage of 45.7% (557 of 1,219) and they concede 34.2 boards per game as a squad. They relinquish 35.3% on 3-pointers and they rank 108th in D-1 in PPG allowed (68.9).

In their last game, the UNI Panthers took a loss by a final score of 85-69 when they faced Bradley. The Panthers were able to snag 22 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 for the game. They turned the ball over 12 times, while recording 4 steals for the game. Bradley was called for 18 fouls in this matchup which got the Panthers to the free throw line for 23 attempts. They were able to make 17 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 73.9%. Regarding shots from beyond the perimeter, UNI converted 6 out of 19 attempts (31.6%). Overall, the Panthers walked away from this one shooting 23 out of 54 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.6%. The Panthers allowed Bradley to convert 28 out of their 58 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 48.3% in this game. They went 26.7% from 3-point land by going 8 out of 30 and finished the contest at 21 out of 24 at the charity stripe (87.5%). When discussing how they rebounded, UNI permitted Bradley to collect 34 in all (10 offensive).

Bowen Born ended up being important for the Panthers in the matchup. He made 5 out of 10 in the game for a rate of 50.0%, and had 2 rebounds. He racked up 16 points in his 27 mins on the hardwood and accumulated 2 assists for this game.

UNI has a win-loss mark of 12-10 so far this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Panthers are hitting on 46.4% from the field, which ranks 91st in the nation. UNI has scored 1,624 pts for the campaign (73.8 per game) and they average 33.5 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 12.4 times per contest (257th in college hoops) and they turn it over 10.7 times per game. The Panthers commit 16.8 personal fouls per game and they hit 72.0% from the charity stripe.

The Panthers on the defensive side of the court are 170th in the country in points per game surrendered with 71.4. They are forcing 11.6 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.2% from the floor (229th in college basketball). The UNI defense surrenders 34.5% on three-point shots (180 of 522) and opponents are connecting on 76.7% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 11.0 dimes and 33.0 rebounds per contest, which ranks 49th and 87th in those defensive categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UNI

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