Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between N. Mex. State and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 34-26 lead against Middle Tennessee.

If N. Mex. State keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 9-10 in no time. On the other hand, Middle Tennessee will have to make due with a 6-13 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who’s Playing

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders @ N. Mex. State Aggies

Current Records: Middle Tennessee 6-12, N. Mex. State 8-10

How To Watch

What to Know

We’ve got another exciting Conference USA matchup on schedule as the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the N. Mex. State Aggies are set to tip at 9:00 p.m. ET on January 20th at Pan American Center. Middle Tennessee is hoping to put an end to a ten-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.

It’s hard to win when your three-point shooting is a whole 24.7% worse than the opposition, a fact Middle Tennessee found out the hard way on Thursday. They fell 73-59 to the Miners.

Middle Tennessee’s loss came about despite a quality game from Jared Coleman-Jones, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds. Coleman-Jones set a new season high mark in assists with six.

Meanwhile, it was close, but on Thursday the Aggies sidestepped the Hilltoppers for a 72-70 victory. The win was all the more spectacular given N. Mex. State was down 23 points with 16:00 left in the second half.

Among those leading the charge was Jaden Harris, who scored 18 points along with five rebounds and four steals. As a matter of fact, that’s the most points he has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Tanahj Pettway, who scored 19 points.

The Blue Raiders have not been sharp recently, as they’ve lost seven of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-12 record this season. As for the Aggies, their win bumped their record up to 8-10.

Middle Tennessee will be fighting an uphill battle on Saturday as the experts have pegged them as the six-point underdog. Bettors picking them against the spread have some confidence (to put it mildly), as the team is sitting on a seven-game streak of failing to cover when playing as the underdog.

Odds

N. Mex. State is a solid 6-point favorite against Middle Tennessee, 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 Aggies as a 6.5-point favorite.

The over/under is set at 129.5 points.

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