Marshall vs Southern Mississippi Prediction College Basketball Picks 12/21/24

The Marshall Thundering Herd are visiting the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles on Saturday, December 21st at the Reed Green Coliseum. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Marshall Thundering Herd vs Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Prediction.

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Preview

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles have a 4-7 record this season and are coming off a 65-69 loss by Lamar. The Eagles are 3-7 against the spread, and 3-6-1 in over/under, while they have a 4-1 home record. 

Offensively, Southern Miss is averaging 71.8 points per game, which ranks 271st in the nation. Defensively, they allow 77.6 points per game (317th). The Eagles shoot with 43.5% from the field (253rd), and with 31.5% from beyond the arc (279th). The Eagles shoot with 67.9% from the free-throw line (282nd), and are grabbing 36.8 rebounds per game (165th).

Denijay Harris leads Southern Miss in scoring with an average of 14.8 points and a team-high 9.2 rebounds, while Neftali Alvarez adds 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and a team-high 4 assists.

Marshall Thundering Herd Preview

The Marshall Thundering Herd have a 7-5 record this season and are coming off a 93-63 win over West Virginia Wesleyan. The Thundering Herd is 4-5-1 against the spread, and 4-4-2 in over/under, while having a 0-4 road record. 

Offensively, Marshall is averaging 78.3 points per game, which ranks 129th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 72.6 points per game (222nd). The Thundering Herd shoot with 44.5% from the field (212th), and with 29.1% from beyond the arc (337th). The Thundering Herd shoot with 68.6% from the free-throw line (261st), and are grabbing 37.4 rebounds per game (134th).

Mikal Dawson leads Marshall in scoring with an average of 12.9 points, while Obihna Anochili-Killen adds 11.8 points and 6 rebounds.

Why the Southern Miss Golden Eagles will win

• Southern Miss has won each of its last 15 day games at Reed Green Coliseum.
• Marshall has lost eight of its last nine games against the Sun Belt Conference.
• The home team has won the first half in seven of Marshall’s last eight games.

Why the Marshall Thundering Herd will win

• Marshall has won each of its last four games against Southern Miss.
• Southern Miss has lost four of its last five games against the Sun Belt Conference.
• Southern Miss has lost the first half in each of its last eight games.

Matchup/League Facts

• Southern Miss ranks T17th among Division 1 teams for blocks per game this season (5.5).
• Southern Miss ranks 37th among Division 1 teams for pace this season (72.5).
• Marshall ranks 4th among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point field goal attempts per game this season (17.0).
• Marshall ranks 15th among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point field goals made per game this season (5.7).

Marshall Thundering Herd vs Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Prediction

Marshall is 4-0 in their last 4 meetings against Southern Mississippi, and are 4-0 against the spread. In their most recent meeting back in January, Marshall won 83-67 at home. In this Marshall Thundering Herd vs Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Prediction, Marshall is coming as -3.5 road favorites. Marshall is better both offensively, scoring 6.5 points more than Southern Mississippi, and defensively, allowing 5 points less. The Thundering Herd are winning by an average of 5.7 points this season, while the Golden Eagles are losing by an average of 4.8 points. Marshall might be winless on the road, but this is a perfect opportunity to snap that losing streak against an inferior Southern Mississippi squad. Take the Marshall Thundering Herd and lay the -4 points on the road.