South Florida vs Middle Tennessee Prediction 11-22-24 College Basketball Picks
Middle Tennessee (4-1) vs. South Florida (2-2)
November 22, 2024 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: South Florida -5.5; Over/Under: 144.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the South Florida Bulls meet Friday in college basketball action from HTC Center. Here’s a South Florida vs Middle Tennessee prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best South Florida vs Middle Tennessee pick.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Betting Preview
The Raiders’ season has gone pretty well so far, with only one loss on the card. Middle Tennessee kicked things off with three straight wins over Oglethorpe, Abilene Christian and Evansville before their lone blemish 88-67 versus Murray State last weekend.
On Thursday the Blue Raiders played a tight one versus Ohio but came out on top. Middle Tennessee needed overtime but eventually prevailed 83-81 in a game that was close the whole way. Jestin Porter topped the team with his 24 points, three rebounds and three assists.
South Florida Bulls Betting Preview
Over on the South Florida side, they kicked off the season with a tough matchup against Florida (a 98-83 loss), then fell to Charleston 86-71. The Bulls recovered with wins over AR-Pine Bluff and West Georgia in the next two outings, though.
Matched up against Portland in Thursday’s game, the Bulls were up 38-33 by halftime. South Florida hit a 36-35 run from there and powered out the victory 74-68. Kobe Knox led the team in scoring with 13 points alongside six rebounds and three assists.
South Florida vs Middle Tennessee Prediction
I’ll probably lean toward Middle Tennessee, but this one seems like it could be a coin flip. The Raiders had an up-and-down performance against Ohio on Thursday, notching 43.8 percent shooting with a 53-42 rebounding edge. Middle Tennessee also went a tepid 21-of-32 (65.6 percent) from the line with 18 turnovers, but to their credit the team held on for the win in OT. The Raiders have scored well this year with 79 or more points in four of five games.
As for South Florida, they missed six of their 21 free throws (71.4 percent) but did have a slim 42-40 rebounding edge over Portland in their Thursday victory. The Bulls have also scored well this year with 71 or more points in every game. With that in mind, Middle Tennessee needs to assert themselves on the glass early and make sure they’re nailing those free throws. This one seems like a close finish on paper and I like the Raiders to get in there.
