The Murray State Racers and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Murphy Center. Murray State enters this one at 7-4 overall. The Racers took out Austin Peay in their most recent game. As for Middle Tennessee, they’re 7-4 this year as well following a loss to Chattanooga. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Murray State has losses to Saint Louis, UMass, Chattanooga and Bellarmine this year. The wins otherwise have come versus Lindsey Wilson, Texas A&M, Tulsa, Illinois State, Valparaiso, Chicago State and Austin Peay.
Matched up against Austin Peay on Friday, the Racers trailed 29-27 going into the second half. Murray State hit a 41-31 run from there and won it 68-60. Quincy Anderson led the team with his 16 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes.
Over on the Middle Tennessee side, their losses were to Winthrop, Missouri State, St. Bonaventure and Chattanooga. The Raiders have otherwise beaten Brescia, Rice, Hofstra, Stephen F. Austin, Montana State, Maryville TN and Belmont.
Last Thursday versus Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee faced a 47-40 halftime deficit. The Blue Raiders didn’t get any closer after the second half during an 82-73 loss. Eli Lawrence was the top team scorer with 21 points and three boards.
PICK: I’m going to take a stab on Murray State. You could probably make a good case either way here, though; it should be a fun game. Murray State hasn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard lately; they haven’t hit 69 points in three straight games. That said, the Racers are still 4-1 in their last five outings and playing pretty well despite a few very close calls. As for Middle Tennessee, they couldn’t find much success in their last game versus a good Chattanooga team. The Blue Raiders have hit 69 or more points in three straight outings however, and should give Murray State a run for their money. It’ll be a good matchup.