On Monday, the Tarleton State Texans host the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons in the final four of the College Insiders Tournament with a championship matchup with Norfolk State on the line.
Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons vs. Tarleton State Texans (-5.5, 152)
These two teams operate quite differently with their tempo, as Tarleton entered the week 247th in possessions per while Fort Wayne is 37th in this category. However, both teams enter playing quite efficiently on defense.
Overall, Fort Wayne is 70th in the country in points allowed on a per-possession basis, but that ranking improves to 44th in games played away from home. Meanwhile, Tarleton State is 129th in points allowed per possession, allowing seven points fewer per 100 possessions at home than away from home.
While the Mastodons are shooting 36.9% from 3-point range in games played away from home, which ranks 30th in the country, they have to take extra care of the ball against a Texans defense that ranks 36th in the nation in turnovers forced on a per-possession basis.
Fort Wayne counters with a defense that is even better at generating turnovers, ranking 12th in the nation in turnovers forced on a per-possession basis, going up against a Tarleton State offense that is 156th nationally in turnovers per possession and is 141st in points scored on a per-possession basis.
Second chances figure to be in limited supply for both teams as Fort Wayne entered Sunday 336th in the country in offensive rebound rate, getting an offensive rebound on just 20.8% of their missed shots. On the other side, Tarleton State is rebounding 27.6% of their missed shots as an offensive rebound at home, which is 177th nationally.
With both teams having a tough time generating second chances and both defenses forcing a lot of turnovers, it will lead to points being at more of a premium than expected on Monday.
The Play: Fort Wayne vs. Tarleton State Under 152
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