MTSU Blue Raiders vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Prediction, 3/9/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024

Location: Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, LA

TV: ESPN+

The MTSU Blue Raiders (13-17) are hitting the road to Thomas Assembly Center on Saturday where they will play the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (21-8).

The MTSU Blue Raiders faced Liberty and took home the win by a score of 69-61 in their last contest. MTSU finished the game having earned a 39.7% FG percentage (23 out of 58) and made 10 out of their 23 shots from distance. When they shot from the free throw line, the Blue Raiders made 13 of 14 tries for a percentage of 92.9%. Regarding hauling in rebounds, they earned 29 with 8 of them being offensive. They also recorded 12 assists in this contest as well as creating 15 turnovers and having 7 steals. Regarding the defense, MTSU allowed 49.0% from the floor on 24 of 49 shooting. Liberty distributed 10 dimes and had 3 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Liberty pulled down 30 boards (3 offensive, 27 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Liberty finished the game shooting 54.5% from the free throw line by knocking down 6 of their 11 attempts. They made 7 out of their 24 attempts from 3-point land. When talking about personal fouls, the Blue Raiders ended up with 11 while Liberty totaled 14 personal fouls.

Elias King is someone who was a contributor for the contest. He finished the game at 41.2% from the floor and also earned 2 assists. He was on the court for 36 minutes played and also collected 3 boards. He accumulated 19 points on 7 of 17 shooting.

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MTSU enters this game with a mark of 13-17 this year. They have an average of 65.8 pts per game (342nd in the country) while shooting 40.6% from the floor. The Blue Raiders are connecting on 31.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (218 of 703) and 69.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, MTSU is pulling down 34.9 boards per game and has accumulated 304 dimes for the year, which ranks 349th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 14.2 times per contest and as a team are committing 15.7 personal fouls per game.

Defensively, the Blue Raiders are forcing 11.2 turnovers every game and they draw 17.3 personal fouls. They are ranked 38th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 328 surrendered for the campaign. The Blue Raiders are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 43.7% (766 of 1,752) and they surrender 35.6 boards per game as a team. They concede 31.8% on 3-point shots while they are 104th in college basketball in PPG allowed (69.4).

When they last stepped on the court, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs took home the win by a final score of 90-84 when they faced Western Kentucky. The Bulldogs were able to corral 27 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 34 in the game. They turned the ball over 12 times, while earning 7 steals for the game. Western Kentucky earned 22 fouls for the matchup which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 32 attempts. They were able to bury 25 of them for a percentage of 78.1%. In terms of shots from downtown, Louisiana Tech buried 11 out of 20 attempts (55.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Bulldogs shot 27 for 56 from the floor which gave them a rate of 48.2%. The Bulldogs permitted Western Kentucky to make 27 out of 62 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.5% for this game. They finished shooting 38.7% from behind the 3-point line by hitting 12 of 31 and finished the game at 18 out of 25 at the free throw line (72.0%). With respect to cleaning up the glass, Louisiana Tech permitted Western Kentucky to snag 25 overall (5 on the offensive side).

Isaiah Crawford pitched in for the Bulldogs for the matchup. He earned 20 points in his 40 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 assists for the contest. He buried 5 of 11 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 45.5%, and added 7 rebounds.

Louisiana Tech has a mark of 21-8 this season. The Bulldogs commit 15.7 fouls every game and they go 70.3% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 12.6 times per contest (230th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.8 times per game. Louisiana Tech has totaled 2,175 pts so far this season (75.0 per contest) and they grab 38.8 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Bulldogs are connecting on 45.9% from the floor, which ranks them 108th in the nation.

The Bulldogs on the defensive end are ranked 13th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 63.9. They are able to force 12.9 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.1% from the floor (8th in the country). The Louisiana Tech defense concedes 33.4% on 3-point shots (198 of 592) and opponents are knocking down 69.6% of their foul shots. They give up 10.2 dimes and 32.6 boards per game, which ranks them 14th and 62nd in the nation.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Louisiana Tech

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