Half-time report
After a tough road loss in their last outing, Middle Tennessee looks much better today on its home court. A win is still up for grabs for either team after one quarter, but Middle Tennessee leads 25-23 over Cal Baptist.
If Middle Tennessee continues to play like this, they will increase their record to 8-3 in no time. On the other hand, Cal Baptist will have to settle for a 5-6 record unless they turn things around (and quickly).
Who’s playing
Cal Baptist Lancers @ Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Current records: Cal Baptist 5-5, Middle Tennessee 7-3
How to watch
What you need to know
The Cal Baptist Lancers’ road trip will continue as they take on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday at the Murphy Center. The Lancers strut with some offensive power as they have averaged 77.4 points per game this season.
Last Wednesday, Cal Baptist came up short against San Diego State and fell 81-75.
This defeat does not tell the whole story, because several players had good matches. One of the most active was Dominique Daniels Jr., who scored 22 points and six assists. These six assists allowed him to establish a new career high. The team also received help from Adam Moussa, who had ten points and five assists.
Even though they lost, Cal Baptist broke the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. This strong performance was nothing new for the team: they have now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in three straight games.
Middle Tennessee’s season wasn’t great last year, but it’s starting to look like trouble is in the rearview mirror. They narrowly fell short to Belmont by a score of 82-79 last Saturday. The close contest was even more heartbreaking for the Blue Raiders, who nearly overcame an 18-point deficit.
The losing team was bolstered by Jlynn Counter, who had 22 points to go along with five assists. Another player who made the difference was Essam Mostafa, who had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Cal Baptist’s loss was Cal Baptist’s seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record to 5-5. As for Middle Tennessee, their loss dropped their record to 7-3.
A high-performance offense is likely on the agenda, as both teams are among the highest-scoring teams in the league. Cal Baptist has had no problem running up the score this season, averaging 77.4 points per game. However, it’s not like Middle Tennessee struggled in that department, as its average was 82.8. With both teams so easily able to rack up points, the only question that remains is who can run up the score.
Cal Baptist hopes to defy the odds on Monday as experts believe they are headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, bet cautiously on Cal Baptist: They have a less than stellar 3-7 record against the spread this season.
Odds
Middle Tennessee is a 4.5-point favorite against Cal Baptist, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The punters were perfectly in tune with the betting community on this point, as the game opened with a 4.5 point spread and stayed there.
The over/under is 145 points.
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History of the series
Middle Tennessee won the only game these two teams have played in the last 2 years.
- March 19, 2022 – Middle Tennessee 64 vs. Cal Baptist 58
