On Sunday, January 1st, in a matchup of Missouri Valley Conference rivals, the Murray State Racers will travel to play the Evansville Purple Aces. In comparison to the Purple Aces, who are 4-10 overall and 0-3 in the conference, the Racers are 7-6 overall and 2-1 in the conference. When the two teams last faced off, Evansville triumphed 78-76 in overtime.
Murray State vs Evansville Betting Odds
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Murray State vs Evansville Match Details
Fixture: MSU Racers at UE Purple Aces
Date and Time: Sunday, January 1 at 2:00 PM ET
Venue: Ford Center, Indiana
Murray State vs Evansville Key Stats
The Racers are having some trouble entering the game. They currently have a record of 7-6 overall and 2-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference but have dropped their previous two games, losing 63-57 to Southern Illinois on Thursday and to Middle Tennessee State on December 21. It was their season's opening conference defeat.
The Racers' average of 70.8 points per 100 possessions places them 210th overall. They rank 201st with 69.2 points allowed per 100 possessions.
On Thursday, the Purple Aces suffered yet another loss, this time to Missouri Valley Conference rival Indiana State by a score of 91-63. Despite being a 15.5-point underdog, the Purple Aces failed to cover.
They made only three out of 13 three-point attempts, shooting only 38%. With 21 points and five rebounds, Kenny Strawbridge took the lead. Marvin Coleman followed with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Purple Aces received 10 more points from Gabe Spinelli.
As of right now, the Purple Aces are 4-10 overall and 0-3 in the conference. They are ranked 326th out of the 363 Division 1 teams in the nation. With 16.6 points per game, Strawbridge is the Purple Aces' scoring leader.
Murray State vs Evansville Betting Prediction
The Purple Aces haven't yet proven they can contend with teams from the Missouri Valley Conference, so this is a significant mismatch. So far, they have been humiliated by Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, and Indiana State.
While the Purple Aces were defeated by over 30 points, the Racers' loss to Southern Illinois was just 6 points. It will be a difficult season for the Purple Aces as the Racers are one of Division 1's poorest teams. The Purple Aces will keep this tight for a while, but in the end, their lack of a strong defensive unit will allow their opponents to win and cover the spread.
Pick: Murray State Racers -5 (-110)
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