MTSU Blue Raiders vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks Prediction, 1/24/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Location: Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, AL

TV: ESPN+

Pete Mathews Coliseum is the location where the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-9) will try to defeat the MTSU Blue Raiders (11-7) on Saturday.

The MTSU Blue Raiders took the court against Missouri State and went home with a win by a final score of 90-87 in their last contest. In relation to fouls, the Blue Raiders ended up walking away with 20 while Missouri State accumulated 22 fouls. They also knocked down 11 of 25 tries from 3-point range. Missouri State finished shooting 61.5% from the charity stripe by knocking down 16 of 26 attempts. On top of that, Missouri State grabbed 26 boards (12 offensive, 14 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Missouri State distributed 16 dimes and had 10 steals in this contest. In terms of defending, MTSU allowed the other team to go 43.5% from the floor on 30 of 69 shooting. They also doled out 17 assists for the game in addition to forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 34 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Blue Raiders converted 18 of their 23 attempts for a rate of 78.3%. MTSU finished having earned a 52.7% field goal percentage (29 out of 55) and converted 14 of 28 3-point shots.

Torey Alston is one player who played a role for the game. He ended up shooting 50.0% from the floor and dished out 3 dimes. He saw the court for 43 mins played and pulled down 9 rebounds. He left the arena with 22 points on 6 of 12 shooting.

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MTSU heads into this contest with a win-loss record of 11-7 so far this season. They cough up possession 11.7 times per game and as a squad they are committing 17.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, MTSU is snagging 37.2 boards per contest and has accumulated 259 assists this season, which ranks 244th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Blue Raiders are connecting on 35.6% on shots from downtown (178 of 500) and 69.2% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 75.6 pts per contest (216th in Division 1) while hitting 44.5% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Blue Raiders are forcing 11.8 turnovers per game while drawing 15.0 fouls. They are giving up 28.9% on 3-point attempts and they are 84th in college hoops in points per game allowed (69.8). The Blue Raiders are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 42.0% (444 of 1,057) and they concede 35.8 rebounds per contest as a squad. They currently rank 31st in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 212 surrendered so far this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks got the win with a final of 64-60 when they played Louisiana Tech. The Gamecocks were able to pull down 19 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 28 for the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while getting 7 steals for the matchup. Louisiana Tech committed 17 personal fouls for this contest which got the Gamecocks to the free throw line for 18 tries. They were able to bury 14 of those for a percentage of 77.8%. Concerning shots from beyond the perimeter, Jacksonville State made 10 out of their 23 attempts (43.5%). When the final whistle blew, the Gamecocks finished shooting 20 for 49 from the field which gave them a rate of 40.8%. The Gamecocks permitted Louisiana Tech to bury 22 of 56 attempts from the field which left them shooting 39.3% in the game. They went 23.5% from beyond the arc by going 4 out of 17 and ended up going 12 out of 13 from the free throw line (92.3%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, Jacksonville State permitted Louisiana Tech to get 28 in all (11 on the offensive side).

Mostapha El Moutaouakkil ended up being a major contributor for the Gamecocks in the matchup. He buried 5 out of 14 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 35.7%, and totaled 6 rebounds. He earned 18 points in his 30 mins of playing time and had 2 dimes for the game.

Jacksonville State has a win-loss mark of 9-9 this season. As an offensive unit, the Gamecocks are shooting 44.0% from the floor, which is 261st in the nation. Jacksonville State has accounted for 1,314 pts on the year (73.0 per contest) and they grab 37.5 boards per game. They are earning an assist 12.7 times per contest (285th in the country) and they cough up possession 11.6 times per contest. The Gamecocks are responsible for committing 16.8 fouls per contest and they shoot 66.9% from the free throw line.

The Jacksonville State defense concedes 29.8% on three-point shots (127 of 426) and opponents are converting on 74.2% of their free throw shots. They have given up 10.8 assists and 33.5 boards every game, which is 20th and 121st in college hoops. The Gamecocks on the defensive end are ranked 26th in college in points given up per game with 66.3. They have forced 11.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 39.7% from the field (28th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take MTSU

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