Chattanooga vs. Belmont Odds
| Chattanooga Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 139 -110o / -110u | N/A |
| Belmont Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 139 -110o / -110u | N/A |
Both Chattanooga and Belmont come into Wednesday's game looking to keep their streaks alive.
The Mocs are currently on a four-game win streak, with three of those wins coming on the road. Belmont, meanwhile, is on a three-game win streak, with its biggest win coming on the road against Saint Louis.
Chattanooga had a blowout performance against Tennessee Wesleyan in its last game, winning 104-55. Four players on the team finished in double digits to move to 9-1 on the season.
For the Mocs, it was their fifth game in a row with a 20-point scorer. Their shooting percentage was also a season high despite maintaining over 50% shooting throughout their entire win streak.
Meanwhile, in Belmont's game vs. Saint Louis, the Bruins started slow, allowing the Billikens to jump out to a 18-3 lead. However, they were able to knock the lead down to 32-26 at half.
In the second half, the Bruins had a vintage performance, shooting 57%.
With both teams riding so high, which squad will be able to keep it going in this game?
Chattanooga Mocs
The Mocs came into the season projected to finish fourth in the Southern Conference. They are currently positioned atop the league before conference play begins, and have seemed dominant outside of one game against Charleston.
This has been due in large part to the impressive showing of three Mocs: Malachi Smith, David Jean-Baptiste and Silvio De Sousa.
Smith has posted three games with 20 points or more, while De Sousa has posted the same number twice.
De Sousa has been a game changer for the Mocs since transferring in during the offseason. He came to Chattanooga with some of the best talent in college basketball, but also some of the biggest problems.
De Sousa was a key bench player for a Kansas team that reached the Final Four during his freshman season. However, he was the center of an FBI investigation due to his guardian accepting money from an Adidas rep in exchange for him attending Kansas.
The next season, De Sousa was back for Kansas before being indefinitely suspended by coach Bill Self following a fight that broke out during a game against Kansas State.
Last season, he sat out for what he announced as personal reasons. But once again, De Sousa found himself in trouble. He was charged with aggravated battery after a fight outside of Lawrence, Kansas.
Since arriving at Chattanooga, he's been able to stay out of trouble, and if that can continue, he has the potential to take this team far.
Outside of De Sousa, the Mocs have been all around impressive, ranking even higher than Belmont in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Mocs have also been able to rank inside the top 100 in both two and 3-point percentage.
Even defensively, they have been better than Belmont, limiting opponents to just 61.9 points per game. They've specifically been great at defending outside the perimeter, where they limit opponents to just 29.1%.
Belmont Bruins
Belmont has been led by some impressive seniors en route to its 8-3 start to the season. Nick Muszynski, Grayson Murphy and Luke Smith have combined to score 43% of the team's points this season, including 41% of all the Bruins' scoring over the last five games.
Also, Belmont has been a perfect 6-0 when the team records at least eight offensive rebounds.
The Bruins currently rank 36th, per KenPom, in adjusted offensive efficiency, while also posting an effective field goal percentage inside the top 50 (54.7%).
Belmont has struggled on defense, however, allowing opponents to average 70.8 points per game. Opponents have also been able to shoot an average of 43% against the Bruins.
Chattanooga vs. Belmont Betting Pick
Chattanooga, in my opinion, has been a massively underrated team. I expect them to give Belmont — which has struggled at points throughout the season — a bigger challenge than expected.
The Mocs are more talented and more experienced than what Belmont has displayed so far this season. With a chance to show off how good they truly are, I think they take advantage of their strengths in this game.
The spread opened up at 7 — which I grabbed immediately — but I would still feel confident in this spread down to 5.
I will also be placing a small wager on the Mocs ML, but I want to wait to see if Belmont can get a push from the public first.
Pick: Chattanooga +5 or better | Mocs ML +230 or better
