The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will try to pay off for their supporters on Saturday when they play host to the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at Summit Arena in NCAA basketball action.

The Sun Belt Tournament battle is part of the annual season-ending league tournament. The winner gets an automatic berth in the Madness, while all teams are trying to prove they deserve a spot. Summit Arena is the location for this game, which makes it a neutral-site matchup.

Middle Tennessee battles the Ragin Cajuns, currently sitting with a 13-19 mark (12-15 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 14-12 for the Blue Raiders and 15-8 for the Ragin Cajuns.

View Louisiana-Lafayette vs Middle Tennessee Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Blue Raiders at No. 11 and the Ragin Cajuns at No. 229 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 82-66 result in favor of the Blue Raiders.

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How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Middle Tennessee has the nation's No. 87-rated offensive output, at 71.4 PPG. The visiting Ragin Cajuns defense ranks No. 315 allowing on average 72.9 PPG. The Blue Raiders FG% has averaged 46.5% so far, more than the Ragin Cajuns marksmen have achieved on the year, 42.8% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Louisiana-Lafayette owns the country's No. 303-rated mark, allowing 75.4 points per game on the highway. Middle Tennessee, on the other hand, rates No. 32 in scoring at home.

Louisiana-Lafayette was a 74-55 winner in its last match at home against North Texas. They covered the 3.5-point spread as underdogs. Louisiana-Lafayette earned a 74-55 victory over North Texas on Friday, getting 20 points from Elfrid Payton at Summit Arena.

Middle Tennessee won its last outing, a 70-62 result against Western Kentucky on March 2. They covered in that game as a 7-point favorite. The Blue Raiders got 17 points from JT Sulton as Middle Tennessee ran past Western Kentucky 70-62 on Saturday at EA Diddle Arena.