Missouri State vs Murray State Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for February 21 (Back the Underdog at JQH Arena)

Missouri State vs Murray State Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for February 21 (Back the Underdog at JQH Arena)

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Missouri State vs Murray State Game Info

  • 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
  • Missouri State (14-14, 10-8 MVC) vs. Murray State (15-13, 10-8 MVC)
  • Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2023
  • Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • Venue: JQH Arena -- Springfield, Missouri
  • Coverage: CBS Sports Network

The 2022-23 college basketball season continues on Tuesday with an exciting matchup between the Murray State Racers and Missouri State Bears. Murray State is coming off a 74-58 win over Evansville on Saturday. Marvin Coleman II led the way with 18 points, while Preston Phillips logged 8 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Missouri State fell just short in a 69-66 loss to Northern Iowa in its most recent game on Saturday. Chance Moore posted 17 points off the bench, but the Bears shot only 29.6% from beyond the arc (8-of-27) and missed eight free throws. Which MVC squad will come out on top on Tuesday?

Missouri State vs Murray State Odds & Spread

Missouri State enters this contest as a notable home favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 133.5 points, which is about average compared to Tuesday's projected totals.

Missouri State vs Murray State Betting Trends

  • Missouri State is 13-14-0 against the spread this year.
  • The Bears' ATS record as 5.5-point favorites or more is 4-4.
  • There have been 10 Missouri State's games (out of 27) that went over the total this year.
  • Murray State's record against the spread is 13-14-0.
  • As a 5.5-point underdog or greater, the Racers have two wins ATS (2-6).
  • Murray State has seen 17 of its 27 games go over the point total.
Missouri State Rank Missouri State AVG Murray State AVG Murray State Rank
330th 65.1 Points Scored 70.3 213th
32nd 63.5 Points Allowed 72.2 256th
148th 32.4 Rebounds 31.3 213th
65th 9.9 Off. Rebounds 7.9 236th
120th 7.9 3pt Made 5.9 316th
316th 11.3 Assists 11.8 288th
187th 12.0 Turnovers 10.5 43rd

Missouri State vs Murray State Prediction & Pick

It's worth noting that Missouri State's struggles at the free throw line on Saturday were not something out of the ordinary. The Bears shoot only 62.7% from the line this season, which ranks 355th out of 363 Division I programs. It's an area of the game that cost them a win over Murray State in January.

The Racers came out on top by a score of 74-71 there as they shot 21-of-24 (87.5%) from the charity stripe and the Bears shot 10-of-15 (66.7%). Free throws are only one part of the game, but keep in mind Missouri State also ranks below Murray State is offensive efficiency and rebounds per game.

Murray State is 11-3 straight up in its last 14 games in February, so back the Racers in an upset.

Final Score Prediction: Missouri State: 65 | Murray State: 68

Missouri State vs Murray State Best Bet

Bettors unwilling to back an underdog at +180 moneyline odds should feel much more comfortable trusting the Racers to cover a 5.5-point spread. Murray State is 6-3 against the spread (ATS) in its last nine games overall and 4-1 ATS in its last five games against Missouri State. That's not too shabby.

Missouri State is a disappointing 0-7-2 ATS in its last nine games overall and 0-4-1 ATS in its last five home games. The Bears are not beating the teams they are supposed to beat and are getting blown out as underdogs, too. This game has nail-biter written all over it, so it's best to take the points here.

Bet: Murray State Racers +5.5 (-115)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.