Tennessee-Martin vs Murray State 2/19/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 21^st Murray State Racers will travel to Skyhawk Arena to take on the UT Martin Skyhawks this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The 21^st ranked Murray State Racers won their 15^th straight game and improved to 25-2 on the season after defeating the Austin Peay Governors, 91-56, this past Thursday. Murray State dominated Austin Peay on both ends of the court and had no trouble pulling away for victory after going into halftime with a 49-23 lead. Murray State shot 64.3% from the field & 41.2% from beyond the arc while holding Austin Peay to just 31.7% from the field & 26.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Racers was KJ Williams who had 25 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Murray State is averaging 80.4 ppg on 48.5% shooting from the field. The Racers are averaging 8.0 three-pointers per game on 35.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Murray State has been led by KJ Williams (17.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.6 spg), Tevin Brown (16.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.4 spg), Justice Hall (13.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.1 spg), & Trae Hannibal (8.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Murray State is holding their opponents to an average of 62.3 ppg on 40.6% shooting from the field. The Racers have a rebound margin of 7.9 and a turnover margin of 3.1.

The UT Martin Skyhawks lost their 4^th straight game and dropped to 8-19 on the season after being defeated by the Morehead State Eagles, 68-60, this past Wednesday night. UT Martin led by a 34-30 margin at halftime, however, the Skyhawks struggled offensively down the stretch and Morehead State was able to avoid the upset loss after an 13-0 Eagles run gave Morehead State a 64-56 lead with :47 seconds left in regulation. UT Martin shot 31.8% from the field & 41.2% from beyond the arc while allowing Morehead State to shoot 42.1% from the field & 15.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Skyhawks was KK Curry who had 24 points, 6 rebounds, & 3 steals.

On the season, UT Martin is averaging 69.0 ppg on 41.3% shooting from the field. The Skyhawks are averaging 6.7 three-pointers per game on 29.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Murray State has been led by KJ Simon (16.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.4 bpg), KK Curry (10.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 bpg), Bernie Andre (9.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg), & Chris Nix (7.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg).

Defensively, UT Martin is 73.3 ppg on 43.6% shooting from the field. The Skyhawks have a rebound margin of -0.4 and a turnover margin of -0.3.

The Racers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. UT Martin and 4-2 ATS in their last 6 Saturday road games. The Skyhawks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games & 1-7 ATS in their last 8 Saturday games.

Murray State is no doubt the better team here and is arguably the best mid-major team in the country, however, the Racers have struggled ATS on the road as of late, losing 3 of their last 4 road games. UT Martin was more competitive than expected in their 74-66 lost at Murray State earlier this season, and as I was impressed by the Skyhawks in their recent home game against Morehead State, I think UT Martin does enough to keep this one within 15 points and covers with the points. Good Luck!