Late Night Sunday Hoops. 844 MTSU -6.5 over FIU in the dual-site Sun Belt tourney.
MTSU is just better, especially defensively, and has proven their superiority over FIU winning by 12 and 9 over FIU already. In the most recent meeting MTSU was up by 17 at the 8-minute TO. FIU shot 50% or better in both games yet lost both times. Bad sign.
MTSU is rested while FIU won yesterday. The Panthers beat Denver, an offensively challenged team that was shooting 6 for 30 midway through the second half. (How do you only win by 4 when opponent starts 6 for 30?) Don't look for a repeat of that freakish result, as FIU's defense is ranked 320 or so by Pomeroy. MTSU plays slightly uptempo, as opposed to Denver's crawl. Is Isiah Thomas the guy to be able to make that adjustment without rest?
Much better D for Blue Raiders. MTSU had best D in Sun Belt conference games (.93 points per possession), FIU second worst (1.11 PPP). Look for MTSU to stretch out late against FIU team off win that is more draining than it appeared, as they tried to blow big lead last night (Denver cut lead to 5 in final minute).
