Belmont Bruins vs. Murray State Racers Predictions, Picks, Odds

Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

The Belmont Bruins (24-5, 14-2 Ohio Valley) travel to meet the Murray State Racers (26-2, 16-0) at CFSB Center in Murray, Ky. on Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPNU.

Score Prediction

Murray State 73 Belmont 68

Best Bets

• Murray State -143 ML
• Murray State -3 (-110)
• Under 144.5 (-110)

Belmont Bruins vs. Murray State Racers Predictions

The Bruins of Belmont have looked like the team we've grown accustomed to seeing, winning 10 consecutive games dating back to its last loss on Jan. 20 at Morehead State. The includes a 73-62 victory over SIU-Edwardsville last time out on Saturday, although the Bruins didn't come close to covering a 21.5-point number as the UNDER connected.

The Racers of Murray State picked up an 82-60 victory as six-point underdogs in Nashville in the first meeting. Murray State has a close shave last time out, winning just 62-60 at Tennessee-Martin as 17-point favorites, easily its closest pass in conference play. It's last loss came Dec. 22 in a game at Auburn in which the Racers were completely overwhelmed. MSU also suffered a loss against East Tennessee State on a neutral floor back on Nov. 22. Basically, don't play on the 22nd and Murray State will be OK.

Belmont Bruins vs. Murray State Racers Betting Odds

• Belmont +130
• Murray State -143
• Belmont +3 (-110)
• Murray State -3 (-110)
• Over 144 (-110)
• Under 144.5 (-110)

Belmont Bruins Betting Analysis

• SU 24-5
• ATS 14-13-1
• OU 12-15-1

Belmont might be winning lately, but bettors aren't seeing it unless they've been fading the Bruins. Belmont is 0-6 ATS in the past six games overall, and 4-10 ATS across the past 14 games overall. That includes the first meeting against the Racers on Jan. 15, an 82-60 loss as a six-point underdog as the UNDER connected.

The Bruins are 0-6 ATS in the past six following a straight-up win, while going 0-5 ATS in the past five outings following an ATS loss. The Bruins are also 6-2 ATS in the past eight road outings against teams with a winning home record.

For totals, the UNDER is 4-1 in the past five games overall, while going 6-2 in the past eight games against teams with a winning overall record. The UNDER is 6-2-1 in the past nine road outings against teams with a winning home record, too. The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five following a SU win, and 5-1 in the past six after an ATS loss.

Murray State Racers Betting Analysis

• SU 26-2
• ATS 15-9-1
• OU 10-15

For the Racers, Murray State has won 16 in a row, but they're just 2-3-1 ATS across the past six outings, and 4-5-1 ATS across the past 10 contests, which is fairly ordinary or subpar even.

Murray State has posted a 26-9-1 ATS mark across the past 36 home games, while going 5-1 ATS in the past six games against teams with a winning overall record. The Racers are a very strong 7-0-1 ATS in the past eight games following an ATS loss, while going 5-1 ATS in the past six home games against teams with a winning road mark.

In terms of total, the UNDER is 5-1 in the past six games overall, while going 4-1 in the past five against teams with a winning overall record. The UNDER is also 5-1 in the past six following a straight-up win, and 19-7 in the past 26 following an ATS loss.

Inside the Stats – Belmont Bruins

• Record: 24-5
• PS/G: 80.4 (13th)
• PA/G: 68.5 (166th)
• ORtg: 112.6 (20th)
• DRtg: 95.9 (86th)

Inside the Stats – Murray State Racers

• Record: 26-2
• PS/G: 79.8 (21st)
• PA/G: 62.2 (22nd)
• ORtg: 115.5 (5th)
• DRtg: 90.1 (11th)

Key Players to Watch

• BEL: Nick Muszynski - C (16.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.8 BPG, 56.7 FG%)
• BEL: Ben Sheppard - G (16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 38.4 3P%)
• MST: Tevin Brown - G (16.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 39.4 3P%)
• MST: KJ Williams - F (17.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 54.3 FG%)

Belmont Bruins vs. Murray State Racers Conclusion

The Bruins started off rather sluggish by their standards, sitting 5-3 SU/4-3-1 ATS through eight games at the end of November. Since then, mostly coinciding with the conference schedule, the Bruins have looked a lot more like we're used to seeing. Still, they're having a very difficult time covering the spread.

The Racers aren't having as much trouble against the number, and they certainly didn't have any issues in the first meeting of the season in Nashville, blowing the doors off of Belmont in their own place by an 82-60 score as six-point underdogs on Jan. 15. Don't expect to see a blowout of that magnitude, but make no mistake, Murray State is still the better team, and they're taking care of the spread, too, while Belmont still struggles to cover. Look for a Murray win, a Murray cover and the lean is to the UNDER based upon the trends.

Belmont Bruins vs. Murray State Racers Betting Trends

• Belmont is 0-6 ATS in the past six games overall.
• Belmont is 0-5 ATS in the past five following an ATS loss.
• Belmont is 0-6 ATS in the past six following a SU loss.
• Murray State is 26-9-1 ATS in the past 36 home games.
• Murray State is 5-1 ATS in the past six vs. winning teams.
• The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five games overall for Belmont.
• The UNDER is 6-2 in the past eight games vs. winning teams for Belmont.
• The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five following a SU loss for Belmont.
• The UNDER is 5-1 in the past six games following an ATS loss for Belmont.
• The UNDER is 5-1 in the past six games overall for Murray State.
• The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five games vs. winning teams for Murray State.
• The UNDER is 19-7 in the past 26 games following an ATS loss for Murray State.
• The UNDER is 5-1 in the past six games following a SU loss for Murray State.

Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish