Evansville vs TN-Martin 12/18/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks (4-7) vs. Evansville Aces (4-8)
December 18, 2021 5:00 pm EDT
The Line: Evansville Aces -10 ; Over/Under: 134
(Get latest betting odds)
The Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks and the Evansville Purple Aces meet Saturday in college basketball action from Ford Center. TN-Martin is 4-7 so far this year. The Skyhawks beat UNC Asheville in their last game. As for the Aces, they’re 4-8 so far and coming off a loss to Southeast Missouri State. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
UT-Martin began the year on a 1-3 skid with losses to Tennessee, FAU and Troy. Two more wins followed, then losses to Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee (twice) and Western Illinois. The Skyhawks managed a win over UNC Asheville in their last game.
In the UNC Asheville matchup, UT-Martin jumped out to a 45-34 halftime lead and maintained it on the way to a 79-68 win. Leading the charge was KJ Simon with 30 points, four rebounds, two assists, four steals and 3-of-6 from 3-point range.
Over on the Aces’ side, they went 2-2 over their first quartet with wins over IUPUI and DePauw. After an 0-4 stretch, Evansville beat Eastern Illinois, lost to Southern Illinois, beat Tennessee Tech and lost to Southeast Missouri State.
Matched up against Southeast Missouri State back on December 8, the Aces were within two points at the break but couldn’t get over the hump in a 75-73 loss. Noah Frederking, Shamar Givance and Jawaun Newton each scored 15 points to lead the team.
The Aces are 5-2 ATS in the last seven after a straight-up loss and 4-1 ATS in the last five after an ATS loss. The under is 13-6 in Evansville’s last 19 at home.
Meanwhile, the Skyhawks are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 at home and 4-9 ATS in their last 13 Saturday games. The over is 5-2 in UT-Martin’s last seven overall.
PICK: I’m going to take a stab on UT-Martin. The Skyhawks are coming off a pretty solid game against UNC Asheville, turning in 53.2 percent shooting with 39 rebounds and 15 team assists. UT-Martin has been spotty on the scoreboard lately, though; they’ve hit 66 or fewer in three of their last five games.
As for the Aces, they haven’t scored all that well either. Evansville has 70 or more in just two of their last six outings, but I think they’ll do a decent job here. Should be a very interesting matchup, but I think UT-Martin has the offensive gas to get away with a cover.
