Belmont at Tennessee Tech: 1/14/21 College Basketball Picks and Prediction
Photo by Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (1-12) vs Belmont Bruins (12-1)
Game Info: Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 8:00 pm (Hooper Eblen Arena)
Betting Odds: Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles +12 -- Over/Under: 146 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Belmont Bruins will travel to the Hooper Eblen Center to take on the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles this Thursday night in College Basketball action.
The Belmont Bruins won their 9th straight game and improved to 12-1 on the season after defeating the UT-Martin Skyhawks, 89-69, this past Saturday. Belmont led by a 38-34 margin at halftime and pulled away in the 2nd half after a 16-0 Bruins run gave Belmont a 68-49 lead midway through the 2nd half. Belmont shot 52.6% from the field and 34.4% from beyond the arc while UT-Martin shot 38.7% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc. Belmont was outrebounded by UT-Martin by a 38-32 margin, however, forced 16 turnovers in the victory. Leading the way for the Bruins was Jacobi Wood who had 21 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, & 1 steal.
On the season, Belmont is averaging 79.7 ppg on 49.1% shooting from the field. The Bruins are averaging 8.1 three-pointers per game on 32.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Belmont has been led by Nick Muszynski (15.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.4 bpg), Luke Smith (14.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.7 spg), JaCobi Wood (13.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.4 apg), & Grayson Murphy (10.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.8 spg).
Defensively, Belmont is allowing their opponents to average 67.3 ppg on 40.7% shooting from the field. The Bruins have a rebound margin of 0.8 and a turnover margin of 2.0.
The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles lost their 3rd straight game and dropped to 1-12 on the season after being defeated by the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, 90-80, this past Saturday. Tennessee Tech was able to fight back from a 59-49 deficit to tie the game at 80-all with just 2:49 left in regulation, however, the offense stalled out the rest of the way and Eastern Kentucky was able to pull away after closing out the game on a 10-0 run. Tennessee Tech shot 48.3% from the field and 48.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Eastern Kentucky to shoot 47.3% from the field and 43.2% from beyond the arc. Tennessee Tech was outrebounded by Eastern Kentucky by a 36-33 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 16-10 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Golden Eagles was Jr. Clay who had a double-double with 15 points, 10 assists, 2 rebounds, & 1 steal.
On the season, Tennessee Tech is averaging 63.2 ppg on 41.5% shooting from the field. The Golden Eagles are averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 30.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Tennessee Tech has been led by Jr. Clay (15.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.3 spg), Damaria Franklin (14.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.0 spg), Keishawn Davidson (10.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.5 apg), & Shandon Goldman (6.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 apg).
Defensively, Tennessee Tech is allowing their opponents to average 78.1 ppg on 46.9% shooting from the field. The Golden Eagles have a rebound margin of -3.8 and a turnover margin of -4.5.
The Bruins are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games following a ATS win. The Golden Eagles are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 games overall and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.
This is a large spread, but there is no question that Belmont has the talent to cover it against a Tennessee Tech team that comes into this game ranked just 310th in scoring offense, 304th in scoring defense, & 302nd in defensive FG%. Belmont has one of the best offenses in the OVC and as they were able to beat both UT Martin & Tennessee State by 20+ points on the road, I think the Bruins have no trouble covering this double-digit road spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Belmont Bruins -12
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
