Chattanooga Mocs vs. Belmont Bruins Picks, Predictions, Odds

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Dec. 15, 2021

Dan Dobish
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

The Chattanooga Mocs (9-1) of the Southern Conference travel to meet the Belmont Bruins (8-3) of the Ohio Valley Conference in a Tennessee showdown on Wednesday night at the Curb Event Center Arena in Nashville. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN+.

Score Prediction

Chattanooga 78, Belmont 76

Best Bets

Chattanooga +6.5 (-110) at DraftKings

Chattanooga Mocs vs. Belmont Bruins Predictions

Last time out, Chattanooga worked over a lower-division Tennessee Wesleyan team by a 104-55 score. It was a tune-up for this more important intra-Volunteer State battle. The Mocs have fared well against teams inside the state already, sweeping a home-and-home with Tennessee Tech on Nov. 16 and Nov. 30, while also dropping Lipscomb by 21 points in Nashville as seven-point favorites. The only blemish on the record of the SoCon representative is a hard-fought 68-66 loss at home against College of Charleston on Nov. 27. This team's resume not only includes the above, but solid wins at Loyola Marymount, at Virginia Commonwealth and at UNC Asheville. The Mocs have been tested by several mid-majors, and passed with flying colors.

Belmont has been tested a lot, too. With past performances, this school has earned plenty of credibility as a mid-major to be contended with. They were dusted at LSU on Nov. 22, falling 83-53 in an ugly game, but other than that curb-stomping, they have been right in there night in and night out. Their last loss was against Dayton on a neutral floor, against a team playing much better of late. The Bruins also scored a huge win over Iona on a neutral floor, as well as taking down Drake in a similar setting. This Bruins team also has road wins over Samford and St. Louis, and a good win in overtime over Furman at home. As far as common opponents, the Bruins also took Lipscomb behind the shed on Dec. 2, winning 94-65 at "The Curb".

Chattanooga Mocs vs. Belmont Bruins Betting Odds

• Chattanooga +6.5 (-110)
• Belmont -6.5 (-110)
• Over 139 (-110)
• Under 139 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

Chattanooga Mocs vs. Belmont Bruins Betting Resources

• Matchup: SoCon vs. OVC
• Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2021
• Venue: Curb Event Center Arena
• Location: Nashville, Tennessee
• TV-Time: ESPN+ - 6:00 p.m. ET

• Injury Report
• Wooden Award Odds
• Conference Futures Market
• Power Rankings

Chattanooga Mocs Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 9-1
• ATS: 5-3
• O/U: 3-5

The Mocs headed to the mountains and picked up a 78-73 win at UNC Asheville, but they didn't get the cover. Chattanooga has failed to cover in three consecutive games at any point this season, although they have been fairly consistent against the number. The Mocs are 5-3 ATS, while scoring 78 or more points in each of the past four. This is a team getting better as the season goes along, and bettors are starting to take notice.

The Mocs have an offensive rebound percentage of 39.9%, which ranks Chattanooga seventh in the nation, while Belmont's OReb% is at 25%, or just 276th in the country. That will be a huge area to watch as this game unfolds.

Total bettors have been especially interested in Chattanooga games this season. At first, it was all about the UNDER, cashing in the first five games with a total. In the past three games from Nov. 30-Dec. 8 with a line, the OVER has connected in each outing. A big reason for the recent OVER results is David Jean-Baptiste, as he jacks up threes like they're going out of style. He has 76 triple attempts so far this season, going 12-of-25 (48%) across the past three games, and 43.4% overall on the season.

Belmont Bruins Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 8-3
• ATS: 7-3-1
• O/U: 4-6-1

The Bruins are on a three-game win and cover streak, including a nice victory at St. Louis last time out on Dec. 7 as 2.5-point underdogs. With that low score, the OVER connected, and that has been the rule lately. The UNDER is 5-1-1 across the past seven outings.

As mentioned above, Belmont has struggled on offensive rebounding, but when they do record at least eight more offensive rebounds, they're 6-0 SU. When they have been unable to reach that mark, such as against a larger LSU team, they are 2-3 SU. The Mocs are a tremendous rebounding team, so this will be interesting to watch.

Belmont heads into this game with a 5-1 ATS mark across the past six games overall, and they're 2-0-1 ATS in three home games this season. The OVER is 2-1 in those three home games, although it's been all about the UNDER lately. Still, Belmont has averaged 90.0 PPG on its home court in three tries, which is much higher than its 77.8 PPG scoring average overall.

The Bruins have won and covered three straight since a setback to Dayton on Nov. 28. (Belmont Athletics)

Inside the Stats - Chattanooga Mocs

• Record: 9-1
• VI Ranking: 95
• PS/G: 79 (56th)
• PA/G: 58.9 (25th)
• ORtg: 119.3 (6th)
• DRtg: 89 (52nd)

Inside the Stats - Belmont Bruins

• Record: 8-3
• VI Ranking: 60
• PS/G: 77.8 (76th)
• PA/G: 70.8 (244th)
• ORtg: 108.5 (81st)
• DRtg: 98.7 (223rd)

Key Players to Watch

• UTC: Silvio De Sousa - F (13.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 60.9 FG%)
• UTC: Malachi Smith - G (18.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.2 SPG)
• BEL: Nick Muszynski - C (17.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.0 BPG)< /li>
• BEL: Will Richard - G (11.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.0 SPG)

Chattanooga Mocs vs. Belmont Bruins Betting Conclusion

If you love college basketball, this is going to be a fun game for you to watch. The Johnny-Come-Latelys who fill out an office pool in March have never heard of these teams, or vaguely remember them from past years. You? You're better than that. Get your scout on, and watch two teams who have been a friend to bettors so far this season. And, get a leg up on those casual fans heading into the spring. This is going to be a great game from Nashville.

In addition, expect a lot of ebbs and flows in this game. The Mocs are going to want to run, and push the Bruins around. While Belmont is going to want to slow it down to a snail's pace, and rely upon their experienced players like Grayson Murphy, Nick Muszynski and Luke Smith, seniors who have created 43 percent of the points this season. If the Mocs can shut down that triumvirate, they're going to be in business. If Chattanooga can use its size on the boards to push around Belmont, they're also going to be in business.

Chattanooga Mocs vs. Belmont Bruins Betting Trends

• Chattanooga is 4-1 ATS in five road games this season.
• Belmont is 5-1 ATS in the past six games overall.
• Belmont is 8-1-1 ATS in the past 10 home games.
• The OVER is 3-0 in Chattanooga's past three road outings.
• The UNDER is 5-1-1 in Belmont's past seven games overall.

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