Kennesaw State vs Middle Tennessee Prediction 1/9/25 College Basketball Picks

The Kennesaw State Owls and the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders meet Thursday in college basketball action from Murphy Center. Here’s a Kennesaw State vs Middle Tennessee State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Kennesaw State vs Middle Tennessee State pick. We will examine:

The Kennesaw State Owls’ recent form and player performance

The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Kennesaw State Owls

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders

Recent betting trends in games played between Kennesaw State and Middle Tennessee State

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Kennesaw State vs Middle Tennessee State game

Kennesaw State Owls Betting Preview

This year the Owls opened up their season on a solid stretch but then ran into some issues in December. Kennesaw State kicked things off with a 5-1 run, losing to only California Baptist alongside wins over Toccoa Falls, Bryant TN, Presbyterian, Abilene Christian, and Rutgers. The Owls would hit a spotty 2-4 run after that, however, beating only Towson and Georgia State in that time. Otherwise, it was losses to UC Irvine, Kent State, Santa Clara, and San Jose State. Kennesaw State has been able to rattle off consecutive wins in their last pair however, beating Brewton-Parker and Jacksonville State for a 9-5 overall record so far this season.

In the Jacksonville State matchup on Saturday, the Owls came out of halftime looking at a 36-36 tie on the scoreboard. Kennesaw State surged on a 47-35 run the rest of the way however, ending up with an 83-71 win in the end. Tops in scoring was Simeon Cottle with his 28 points, three boards, and two assists. Adrian Wooley posted 20 points and eight rebounds, while Braedan Lue added 12 points and five rebounds. Ronnie Gordon notched a team-high 12 rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes as well.

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders Betting Preview

Over on the Middle Tennessee State side, they cruised to a 5-1 run in their first half dozen games this year. The Blue Raiders lost to Murray State on November 16, but otherwise dispatched Oglethorpe, Abilene Christian, Evansville, Ohio, and South Florida. A 2-2 stretch came afterward with losses to Bradley and Belmont bookending wins over UAB and Rhodes. Since then it’s been a 3-2 run for Middle Tennessee. The losses have come versus Tennessee and Liberty. Otherwise, it’s been wins over Cal Baptist, Lipscomb, and Florida International.

Over the weekend in the Liberty game, the Blue Raiders posted an ugly 42-25 deficit in the first half. Middle Tennessee got better from there on a 38-31 run, but it wasn’t enough in an eventual loss 73-63. Leading the team in scoring was Camryn Weston, who came off the bench to provide 16 points and four rebounds. Essam Mostafa doubled up on 14 points and 16 boards, while Justin Bufford added 13 points and four rebounds.

Why the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will win

• Middle Tennessee has won each of its last eight night games at Charles M. Murphy Athletic Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Kennesaw State has lost three of its last four night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Kennesaw State has lost the first half in each of its last four night games.

Kennesaw State vs Middle Tennessee State Prediction

I’ll try Kennesaw State here. We should have a pretty fun matchup in-store regardless, though. The Owls looked pretty good in their last outing versus Jacksonville State, posting 45.5 percent shooting from the field and a dominant 44-28 rebounding advantage. Kennesaw State has been on a rough 4-4 run since their excellent win over Rutgers on November 24, but generally, they’re scoring pretty well. The Owls have 74 or more points in four of the last five games (a 3-2 stretch).

As for Middle Tennessee State, they outmuscled Liberty on the boards in their latest loss 43-39, but the 37.9 percent shooting torpedoed their chances at an upset win. The Raiders should be pretty competitive in this one if the offense comes along, but I like the Owls slightly better cover-wise.