MTSU Blue Raiders vs UTEP Miners Prediction, 3/1/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs UTEP Miners

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Location: Don Haskins Center in Lawrence, KS

TV: ESPN+

The MTSU Blue Raiders (18-9) are hitting the road to Don Haskins Center on Saturday where they will take on the UTEP Miners (17-10).

The MTSU Blue Raiders faced off with Sam Houston State and notched a win by a score of 74-70 in their last contest. In relation to personal fouls, the Blue Raiders left the arena with 17 and Sam Houston State totaled 17 personal fouls. They also converted 12 out of their 19 tries from beyond the arc. Sam Houston State finished the game shooting 61.5% when shooting free throws by knocking down 8 of 13 attempts. Moreover, Sam Houston State grabbed 25 boards (7 offensive, 18 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Sam Houston State earned 9 dimes and had 6 steals in this game. In regard to defense, MTSU allowed the other team to shoot 48.1% from the floor on 25 out of 52 shooting. They also doled out 14 assists for the contest as well as forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In regard to grabbing boards, they collected a total of 29 with 14 of them being of the offensive sort. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Blue Raiders converted 12 of 17 tries for a rate of 70.6%. MTSU finished with a 44.8% field goal percentage (26 out of 58) and made 10 out of their 23 3-pointers.

Tre Green is a guy who was a contributor in this matchup. He finished shooting 50.0% from the field but finished the game without a dime. He played for 29 mins and snagged 3 boards. He recorded 17 points on 5 out of 10 shooting.

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MTSU steps onto the court with a mark of 18-9 on the year. They average 76.1 points per game (121st in Division 1) while hitting 45.6% from the field. The Blue Raiders are hitting 33.0% from downtown (201 of 610) and 67.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, MTSU is pulling down 37.9 boards per contest and has accounted for 337 assists for the year, which has them ranked 304th in college hoops in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.1 times per game and as a group they are committing 17.1 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Blue Raiders are forcing 11.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.6 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 75th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 337 conceded on the campaign. The Blue Raiders defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 42.1% (686 of 1,628) and they surrender 35.8 boards per game as a unit. They are relinquishing 31.0% from 3-point land and they rank 167th in college in PPG allowed (71.4).

The last time they took the court, the UTEP Miners went home defeated by a final of 73-65 when they played Jacksonville State. In the matter of cleaning the glass, UTEP allowed Jacksonville State to collect 38 overall (13 offensive). They went 30.4% from three-point range by going 7 of 23 and ended up going 16 out of 22 at the free throw line (72.7%). The Miners permitted Jacksonville State to convert 25 of 60 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 41.7% in the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Miners finished the game shooting 23 out of 56 from the floor which had them at 41.1%. When discussing shooting from downtown, UTEP converted 4 out of 13 tries (30.8%). They were able to make 15 of them for a clip of 51.7%. Jacksonville State committed 19 personal fouls for this game which got the Miners to the charity stripe for 29 attempts. They also coughed it up 11 times, while earning 8 steals for this game. The Miners were able to pull down 23 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 in this contest.

Otis Frazier III ended up being a major contributor for the Miners in this game. He earned 25 points in his 34 mins of playing time and had 2 assists for this game. He converted 8 out of 14 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 57.1%, and totaled 10 rebounds.

UTEP has a win-loss record of 17-10 for the campaign. The Miners commit 18.3 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 70.7% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 13.8 times per game (174th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.0 times per game. UTEP has earned 1,960 points so far this year (72.6 per contest) and they grab 30.5 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Miners are hitting on 45.1% from the floor, which ranks them 165th in the nation.

The Miners on the defensive side of the court are 93rd in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 69.2. They are able to force 16.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.0% from the field (201st in Division 1). The UTEP defense surrenders 32.0% on shots from behind the 3-point line (188 of 588) and their opposition knocks down 72.3% of their free throw shots. They surrender 13.8 assists and 36.1 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 245th and 283rd in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take MTSU

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