Middle Tennessee vs UAB 3/11/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
UAB Blazers (24-7) vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (23-9)
March 11, 2022 3:00 pm EDT
The Line: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders +6.5 ; Over/Under: 140.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The UAB Blazers and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders meet Friday in Conference USA Tournament college basketball action from Ford Center. UAB is currently 25-7 on the season. The Blazers won their tournament game over Florida Atlantic on Thursday. As for Middle Tennessee, they’re sitting at 23-9 overall and beat UTEP in their tournament matchup. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
UAB hasn’t had too many issues sustaining momentum this year. The Blazers made it through the regular season without losing consecutive games. Right now it’s a five-game win streak with victories over UTSA, UTEP, Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech and Florida Atlantic in that time.
In the Thursday tournament game versus Florida Atlantic, the Blazers held a 12-point lead by the break. UAB went on a 33-31 run in the second half on the way to an 80-66 win. Jordan Walker posted 26 points to lead the team, and Quan Jackson doubled on 20 points with 14 rebounds.
Over on the Middle Tennessee side, they were a spotty 9-6 back on January 8. The Raiders have really picked it up since then, however. Middle Tennessee suffered a couple of close losses to Charlotte and Old Dominion heading into the conference tourney, but they were able to take out UTEP in the first appearance.
On Thursday in the tourney matchup against UTEP, the Raiders were up 25-21 by halftime but needed overtime to decide the game. Middle Tennessee hit a 14-7 run in the extra period for a 66-59 win. Leading scorer Eli Lawrence posted 19 points and seven rebounds during the victory.
PICK: I’m probably going to try UAB. The Blazers have looked good during this five-game win streak and they’ve scored 80 points or more in each of their last three outings. UAB won the lone meeting with the Blue Raiders this year, a 97-75 home affair back on February 5. If the Blazers can keep the offense going in this rematch they should be in good shape.
As for Middle Tennessee, they were a very reliable team during January and February but the last few games haven’t been their best. I like the Raiders to take another step toward their old selves here, but I don’t know that they’ll keep the cover pace.
