Middle Tennessee vs Cal Baptist 3/19/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The California Baptist Lancers and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders meet Saturday in the college basketball CBI First Round at the Ocean Center. The California Baptist Lancers look for a win after splitting their last eight games. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders need a win after losing three of their last four games.

The California Baptist Lancers are averaging 71.9 points on 44.3 percent shooting and allowing 66.9 points on 41.1 percent shooting. Ty Rowell is averaging 11.7 points and 2.8 rebounds, while Tre Armstrong is averaging 11.5 points and 4 rebounds. Daniel Akin is the third double-digit scorer and Taran Armstrong is grabbing 5.1 rebounds. The California Baptist Lancers are shooting 33.7 percent from beyond the arc and 67.4 percent from the free throw line. The California Baptist Lancers are allowing 31.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 35.2 rebounds per game.

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are averaging 73.9 points on 44.9 percent shooting and allowing 66.3 points on 42 percent shooting. Josh Jefferson is averaging 14.7 points and 3.2 rebounds, while Eli Lawerence is averaging 11.1 points and 4.3 rebounds. Donovan Sims is the third double-digit scorer and Deandre Dishman is grabbing 4.9 rebounds. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are shooting 33.1 percent from beyond the arc and 76.1 percent from the free throw line. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are allowing 30.9 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32 rebounds per game.

The Lancers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Blue Raiders are 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 games as a favorite and 20-6-2 ATS in their last 28 games overall. The under is 7-2 in Lancers last 9 overall. The under is 6-1 in Blue Raiders last 7 overall.

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders finished the regular season in sloppy form with losses in three of their last four games, but they’ve had some time to lick their wounds and get back on their feet. Middle Tennessee is simply the more proven and battle tested team, and wins in the favorite role by an average of 10.6 points. The Cal Baptist Lancers have struggled playing up to their competition this season and loses by an average of 9.8 points while shooting 38 percent as an underdog. MTSU has also been a covering machine this season, especially as a favorite. The line isn’t crazy. I’ll lay the chalk with the Blue Raiders.