Mississippi State vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 11/7/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders and Mississippi State Bulldogs meet Monday in college basketball action at the Humphrey Coliseum. The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders are coming off a 23-win season where they made the First Four. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are coming off a 18-win season and have won at least 18 games in 5 straight seasons.

The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders have won at least 20 games 7 times in school history. Isaac Mushila returns after averaging 13.2 points and 9.4 rebounds, while Trevian Tennyson averaged 12 points and 1.4 assists. Terrion Murdix averaged 3.9 assists and Simeon Fryer averaged 3.5 rebounds. When you throw in De’Lazarus Keys, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders return their top-5 scorers from a team that made the NCAA Tournament. It’s fair to say Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is the team to beat in the Southland and should like its chances to return to the big dance. 

The Mississippi State Bulldogs begin the Chris Jans era, as he comes over from New Mexico State. Tolu Smith returns after averaging 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds, while D.J. Jeffries averaged 8.9 points and 1.9 assists. Cameron Matthews played in 600 minutes last season and Shakeel Moore averaged 3 rebounds. The Mississippi State Bulldogs lose their best player in Iverson Molinar, but there’s enough here to be a factor in the SEC. Miss State brings in a 4-star recruit in Kimani Hamilton, and there are a handful of transfers including Jamel Horton from Albany, Dashawn Davis from Oregon State and Will McNair Jr. from New Mexico State.

The Islanders are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Bulldogs are 4-10-1 ATS in their last 15 Monday games and 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The over is 10-4-1 in Islanders last 15 road games. The under is 9-4 in Bulldogs last 13 overall.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are the more talented team, obviously, and should be favored, but this line is a bit disrespectful. The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders made the NCAA Tournament last season, and they return their top-5 scorers from that squad. Don’t just fall in love with the team names and lay these massive numbers blindly. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is no pushover. Give me the Islanders and the points.