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N. Mex. State Aggies @ Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Current Records: N. Mex. State 11-9, Middle Tennessee 14-6

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What to Know

After two games on the road, Middle Tennessee is heading back home. They and the N. Mex. State Aggies will face off in a Conference USA battle at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Murphy Center. The Blue Raiders are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 77.6 points per game this season.

Middle Tennessee is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering La. Tech just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Saturday. They took a 75-69 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bulldogs.

Middle Tennessee's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Jlynn Counter, who posted 13 points plus five assists, and Camryn Weston, who posted 16 points along with five rebounds and two steals.

Meanwhile, N. Mex. State's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight loss. They fell 65-59 to Jax. State. The match was a 29-29 toss-up at halftime, but the Aggies couldn't quite close it out.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Peter Filipovity, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 17 rebounds. He is becoming a predictor of N. Mex. State's success: when he posts at least eight rebounds the team is 6-3 (and 5-6 when he doesn't).

Middle Tennessee's defeat dropped their record down to 14-6. As for N. Mex. State, their loss dropped their record down to 11-9.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Middle Tennessee has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 38.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like N. Mex. State struggles in that department as they've been averaging 38.2. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Going forward, Middle Tennessee is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by seven points. They might be worth a quick bet since they're sitting on a three game streak of covering the spread when expected to win.

Odds

Middle Tennessee is a solid 7-point favorite against N. Mex. State, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Blue Raiders as a 6.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 140.5 points.

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Series History

Middle Tennessee and N. Mex. State both have 1 win in their last 2 games.

  • Feb 15, 2024 - Middle Tennessee 76 vs. N. Mex. State 69
  • Jan 20, 2024 - N. Mex. State 73 vs. Middle Tennessee 62