MTSU Blue Raiders vs UTEP Miners Prediction, 1/18/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs UTEP Miners

Date: Thursday, January 18, 2024

Location: Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX

TV: ESPN+

The UTEP Miners (9-8) are welcoming the MTSU Blue Raiders (6-11) at Don Haskins Center on Thursday.

The MTSU Blue Raiders played Sam Houston State and took a loss by a score of 60-51 in their last contest. MTSU finished with a 32.0% FG percentage (16 of 50) and converted 6 out of their 23 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Blue Raiders buried 13 of their 18 attempts for a percentage of 72.2%. Pertaining to pulling down rebounds, they collected 32 with 8 of them being offensive. They also recorded 5 assists for this game while forcing 11 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In regard to defending, MTSU allowed 35.0% from the field on 21 of 60 shooting. Sam Houston State totaled 2 assists and had 3 steals for this contest. Additionally, Sam Houston State pulled down 41 rebounds (16 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Sam Houston State shot 93.8% when shooting free throws by burying 15 of their 16 shots. They knocked down 3 of their 18 attempts from beyond the perimeter. When it comes to fouls, the Blue Raiders ended up finishing with 16 while Sam Houston State totaled 17 fouls.

Jestin Porter is one player who was a major contributor in the game. He ended up going 47.6% from the floor and earned 1 assist. He was on the court for 40 minutes played and totaled 3 rebounds. He was able to score 29 points on 10 of 21 shooting.

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MTSU will enter this contest with a mark of 6-11 for the campaign. They are losing possession via turnover 13.8 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 15.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, MTSU is pulling down 35.1 boards per game and has totaled 162 dimes this season, which is 354th in college basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Blue Raiders are shooting 27.2% on shots from downtown (103 of 379) and 65.5% from the free throw line. They are averaging 62.6 points per game (355th in the country) while hitting 40.4% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Blue Raiders are forcing 12.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.6 fouls. They are currently ranked 33rd in college basketball in allowing assists with 178 relinquished so far this year. The Blue Raiders are allowing a shooting percentage of 43.2% (420 of 973) and they relinquish 35.7 boards per contest as a squad. They surrender 30.4% on 3-pointers and they are 54th in the country in PPG allowed (65.8).

The last time they took the court, the UTEP Miners walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 72-68 against FIU. With respect to how they cleaned up the glass, UTEP allowed FIU to snag 23 in total (6 offensive). They finished 41.2% from beyond the arc by going 7 of 17 and finished the game at 11 out of 14 at the charity stripe (78.6%). The Miners permitted FIU to convert 27 out of their 53 tries from the field which had them shooting 50.9% in the matchup. Overall, the Miners finished shooting 27 out of 46 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 58.7%. In reference to shots from 3-point land, UTEP knocked down 8 of their 14 attempts (57.1%). They were able to bury 6 of the free throws for a rate of 66.7%. FIU committed 12 fouls in the matchup which got the Miners to the free throw line for 9 attempts. They turned it over 23 times, while recording 15 steals in the game. The Miners were able to corral 19 defensive boards and 2 offensive rebounds for a total of 21 in the matchup.

Tae Hardy ended up being a major contributor for the Miners for this game. He knocked down 7 of 13 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 53.8%, and had 2 rebounds. He tallied 15 points in his 33 minutes on the court and had 3 dimes in the matchup.

UTEP has a record of 9-8 so far this season. As an offensive unit, the Miners are connecting on 46.3% from the field, which ranks them 107th in the nation. UTEP has totaled 1,269 points on the campaign (74.6 per contest) and they average 33.1 boards per game. They are getting an assist 13.9 times per game (151st in college basketball) and they are turning it over 15.2 times per game. The Miners are committing 20.5 fouls every game and they connect on 68.5% from the free throw line.

The Miners on the defensive end are ranked 127th in college hoops in points given up per game with 69.5. They are forcing their opponents into 18.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.1% from the floor (241st in college basketball). The UTEP defense surrenders 32.0% from downtown (97 of 303) and opponents are knocking down 73.7% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 10.5 assists and 33.4 boards per contest, which is ranked 28th and 100th in the country.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take MTSU

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