Chattanooga vs Middle Tennessee 12/22/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will travel to McKenzie Arena to take on the Chattanooga Mocs this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders improved to 9-3 on the season after defeating the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, 84-80, this past Sunday. Middle Tennessee was outstanding on the offensive end in the 2^nd half and was able to hold off Coastal Carolina for the victory after taking a 65-59 lead with 6:03 left in regulation. Middle Tennessee shot 45.8% from the field & 36.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Coastal Carolina to shoot 46.7% from the field & 52.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Blue Raiders was Josh Jefferson who had 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, Middle Tennessee is averaging 78.1 ppg on 45.7% shooting from the field. The Blue Raiders are averaging 8.2 three-pointers per game on 30.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Middle Tennessee has been led by Josh Jefferson (12.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.3 spg), Eli Lawrence (12.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.4 spg), Donovan Sims (10.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.0 spg), & Deandre Dishman (7.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.0 spg).

Defensively, Middle Tennessee is allowing their opponents to average 66.1 ppg on 42.2% shooting from the field. The Blue Raiders have a rebound margin of 2.0 and a turnover margin of 3.2.

The Chattanooga Mocs lost their 2^nd straight game and dropped to 9-3 on the season after being defeated by the Murray State Racers, 87-76, this past Wednesday night. Chattanooga struggled defensively against the Murray State and could not fight back after a 12-0 Racers run gave Murray State an 82-68 lead with just 1:39 left in regulation. Chattanooga shot 50.0% from the field & 30.8% from beyond the arc while allowing Murray State to shoot 48.4% from the field & 37.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Mocs was Malachi Smith who had 36 points, 6 rebounds, & 1 steal.

On the season, Chattanooga is averaging 77.8 ppg on 48.5% shooting from the field. The Mocs are averaging 8.2 three-pointers per game on 35.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Chattanooga has been led by Malachi Smith (20.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.3 spg), David Jean-Baptiste (13.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.4 spg), Silvio De Sousa (13.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg), & Darius Banks (6.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Chattanooga is holding their opponents to an average of 62.7 ppg on 40.7% shooting from the field. The Mocs have a rebound margin of 6.3 and a turnover margin of 2.3.

The Blue Raiders are 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall & 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Mocs are 21-7-1 ATS in their last 29 games following a ATS loss, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.

Middle Tennessee has been solid on both ends of the court this season and come into this game ranked 69^th in scoring offense, 109^th in FG%, & 126^th in scoring defense. Chattanooga has also been great on both ends of the court as the Mocs come into this game ranked 71^st in scoring offense, 31^st in FG%, & 67^th in scoring defense.

Chattanooga is one of the better mid-major teams in the country this season, however, Middle Tennessee has won 6 of their last 8 games and have been solid on the road and although I don’t think the Blue Raiders pick up a win here, I think they do enough with the double-digit points to cover this spread. Good Luck!