The No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks (20-11) meet the No. 7 seed Murray State Racers (31-2) in the second round of the East Region. Tip from Gainbridge Fieldhouse is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Saint Peter’s vs. Murray State odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Saint Peter’s won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to earn an automatic bid in the big dance. It pulled off the upset of the tournament despite low expectations when it defeated the No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats 85-79 in overtime as an 18-point underdog.
The Peacocks are led by G Daryl Banks III, who is averaging 11.5 points per game. They are 20-9-1 ATS on the season.
Murray State also opened its tournament with an overtime thriller as it defeated the No. 10 seed San Francisco Dons 92-87. The Racers have only lost to ETSU and No. 2-seed Auburn this season.
They are 17-12-1 ATS and are led by F KJ Williams, who averages 18.2 points per game.
See also: Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports
Saint Peter’s vs. Murray State odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:35 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Saint Peter’s +330 (bet $100 to win $330) | Murray State -450 (bet $450 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Saint Peter’s +8.5 (-105) | Murray State -8.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 129.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
[tipico]
Saint Peter’s vs. Murray State odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Murray State 72, Saint Peter’s 59
Money line
PASS.
Saint Peter’s has already upset one top-two seed, and there’s no doubt there is at least a small possibility it does it again. However, I like Murray State here and will pass on the Peacocks (+330).
The Racers (-450) are unplayable due to needing to risk four and a half times your potential return.
Against the spread
BET MURRAY STATE -8.5 (-120).
The Racers are among the best all-around teams in the nation.
They sit 23rd in points per game (79.3), 21st in field goal percentage (48.1), 21st in opponents points per game (61.7), and top 50 in opponents’ free-throw percentage (68.6) and three-point percentage (30.0).
The Racers also have a top 50 offensive and defensive efficiency ranking per Kenpom.
While the Peacocks proved they can hang with the best, they rank outside the top 200 in scoring and shooting. That’s going to be a problem against a much quicker Racers team.
Murray State is also 7-3 ATS against non-conference opponents while Saint Peter’s was just 3-4 ATS. The Racers’ style of play bodes well against every opponent, and that should hold true Saturday.
Over/Under
LEAN to the OVER 129.5 (-110).
Saint Peter’s is riding high following a win against Kentucky, a game in which it scored 71 regulation-time points and then put in 14 more in the 5 minutes to follow. The Racers scored 92 points, 73 of which came before overtime.
Murray State has turned its offense up lately, scoring 70 or more points in three straight games and going over 85 points in two of those. It has hit 3 straight Overs. The Peacocks are 2-2 O/U in their last four outings and 5-5 O/U over their last 10.
Both teams also have experience and leadership, especially Saint Peter’s whose top 6 scorers are all upperclassmen.
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