Halftime Report

Utah Valley has overcome an early deficit to take the lead back in this one. They have jumped out to a quick 35-30 lead against Murray State.

If Utah Valley keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 3-1 in no time. On the other hand, Murray State will have to make due with a 3-2 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Utah Valley Wolverines @ Murray State Racers

Current Records: Utah Valley 2-1, Murray State 3-1

How To Watch

What to Know

The Murray State Racers will face off against the Utah Valley Wolverines at 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday at CFSB Center. The Racers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 87 points per game this season.

Last Wednesday, Murray State strolled past Md.-E. Shore with points to spare, taking the game 79-61. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Racers.

Murray State's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nick Ellington, who went 7 for 9 en route to 19 points plus six rebounds. Ellington had some trouble finding his footing against Middle Tennessee on Saturday, so this was a nice turnaround. The team also got some help courtesy of KyeRon Lindsay, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Murray State smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in December of 2023.

Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Utah Valley last Thursday, but the final result did not. They fell 77-71 to North Dakota. The loss was the Wolverines' first of the season.

Murray State's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Utah Valley, their loss ended a four-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 2-1.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Murray State has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 38 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Utah Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 41.3. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Looking forward, Murray State is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 7.5 points. For those looking to play the spread, watch out: Murray State is playing as the favorites at home, but their 0-1 record against the spread as such isn't exactly encouraging.

Odds

Murray State is a big 7.5-point favorite against Utah Valley, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Racers as a 8.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 144.5 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.