NCAA Basketball Odds: Tennessee State Tigers vs Murray State Racers
Thursday, February 09, 2012
by Mike Stewart
No. 7 Murray State Racers, the nation's lone unbeaten team, puts its 23-0 mark on the line against a hot Tennessee State Tigers contingent. With a win, MSU can clinch a tie for its third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship, and also extend its home win streak to 19 games. The Racers' 18-game win streak at the CFSB Center is tied for ninth longest in the nation. Tennessee State has won five straight and seven of eight to pull into a second place tie with Tennessee Tech in the OVC.
- Tennessee State Tigers @ Murray State Racers
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 9, 2012
Where: CFSB Center, Murray, Kentucky
TV: ET, ESPN3.com.
The Racers have opened as 10.5-point favorites on SBG Global Sportsbook’s Live NCAA Basketball Odds.
Tennessee State Tigers (15-10): A win over Murray State would clinch the first winning season for the Tigers since 1995-96. Junior forward Robert Covington has been the top inside player in the OVC. Covington averages 17.8 points (4th in league), 8.0 rebounds (2nd), and 1.3 blocked shots (4th) while leading the OVC with seven double-doubles. Sophomore guard Patrick Miller averages 11.7 points and 3.5 assists and junior Kellen Thornton, a transfer from Illinois State, earned OVC Newcomer of the Week honors after averaging 15.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in a pair of Tiger wins last week. TSU leads the OVC in rebounding margin (+3.1).
Murray State Racers (23-0): Isaiah Canaan continues to push for All-American recognition. The junior guard leads the Racers in scoring (18.9) and assists (3.8). Canaan is seventh in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (46.3) and 17th in 3-point field goals per game (3.0). He has three games of more than 30 points this season, 10 games of 20 or more, and has been in double digits in 22 of 23 games. Donte Poole has been Canaan's wing man this year, averaging 14.2 points and an OVC-best 2.0 steals. Ivan Aska continues to lead the team in rebounding (5.9) while ranking third in scoring (11.9). He has come off the bench the past three games since returning from a broken bone in his hand that caused him to miss six games.
1. Murray State enjoys its highest ranking ever. Before this season, the program had not been ranked since 1996.
2. Since 2002, Tennessee State is winless in 10 games against ranked opponents. This marks the first time since the 2006-07 season that TSU is playing two Top-10 teams. In November, the Tigers lost at then top-ranked North Carolina.
3. Murray State leads the all-time series 46-15 and has won the last eight meetings.
NCAA BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Racers 74,Tigers 61.
Bet on NCAA College Basketball games with SBG Global Sportsbook
Related Articles
- BracketBuster NCAA Prediction: Saint Mary's Gaels vs Murray State Racers
- NCAA Pick: Unbeaten No 10 Murray St. Host SE Missouri St. Redhawks
- NCAA Picks: Eastern Illinois Panthers vs Murray State Racers
- Ohio Valley Conference Odds: Eastern Kentucky at No 18 Murray State
- NCAA Basketball Picks: Murray State Racers vs Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
Category
Tags
cfsb center - donte poole - isaiah canaan - ivan aska - kellen thornton - murray state racers - patrick miller - robert covington - tennessee state tigers
Proud member of the