The
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (15-7, 6-3 Conference USA) visit the
Jacksonville State Gamecocks (15-7, 7-2) Thursday at Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, Ala. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze
BetMGM Sportsbook’s college basketball odds around the
Middle Tennessee vs. Jacksonville State odds , and make our expert
college basketball picks and predictions . The Blue Raiders head to Jacksonville a game back in the race for the top spot in Conference USA. The Gamecocks are a perfect 9-0 straight up (SU) on their home court this season, while MTSU is just 4-4 SU on the road. Middle Tennessee has won just once in the past 3 games, falling off a bit with a pair of losses at Louisiana Tech and home to New Mexico State. The Blue Raiders have failed to cover the past 3 games, too. Jax State heads into this rematch looking for revenge after an 81-64 loss in Murfreesboro Jan. 11, as the Blue Raiders won and covered as 5.5-point favorites while the total (145) pushed at most shops. In the first game, Jax State hit just 38.6% (22 of 57) from the field, while leading scorer G
Jaron Pierre Jr. led the way with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 3 triples. For Middle Tennessee, F
Essam Mostafa was a solid 10 of 12 from the field, finishing with 22 points and 9 boards, while G
Jestin Porter led all scorers with 29 points. The Blue Raiders hit 45.9% (28 of 61) from the field, while holding a plus-1 rebounding margin and plus-4 turnover margin. The Gamecocks have won 6 in a row, while covering 5 of those outings. The Under is on a 5-1 run, while going 6-1-1 in the past 8 outings since Jan. 9. Provided by
BetMGM Sportsbook ; access
USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:45 a.m. ET.
Middle Tennessee at Jacksonville State picks and predictions
Prediction
Jacksonville State (-120) isn’t worth playing on the moneyline unless you’re absolutely convinced the Gamecocks will win, but only by a single point.
AVOID , and look to the spread instead.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now ! BACK JACKSONVILLE STATE -1.5 (
-110 ) as it gets the revenge it seeks from an embarrassing loss in the first matchup. The Gamecocks are tremendous at home, going unbeaten in 9 tries, while Middle Tennessee +1.5 (-110) has just a .500 record SU on the road. The home team is also 3-0 SU/ATS in 3 meetings since the teams became conference members together last season. In addition, Jax State is 5-1 ATS in the past 6 games and 13-4 ATS in the previous 17 outings.
UNDER 142.5 (
-115 ) is the lean, but go with a
half-unit play at most. The O/U has split in the past 7 games for Middle Tennessee, going 3-3-1. Be careful, though, as the Over has cashed in the past 2 road games, with the Blue Raiders averaging 73.0 points per game while allowing 75 points in each outing. For Jax State, the Under has cashed in the past 3 games, while going 6-1-1 in the previous 8 outings. The total has gone low in all 6 home games with a line this season, too.
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