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The Belmont Bruins and Chattanooga Mocs will continue to gear up for their looming conference schedules when they meet in a nonconference matchup on Wednesday night. The Mocs (9-1), who open Southern Conference play on Dec. 30, have won four straight and enter the game ranked No. 8 in the latest Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Bruins (8-3), who open Ohio Valley Conference action in two weeks, will look to defend their conference title after going 26-4 overall in 2020-21. Belmont claimed its 12th regular-season conference championship in 16 years and seventh in nine years as members of the OVC.

The game from Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tenn., is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. ET. Chattanooga is averaging 79.0 points per game, while Belmont averages 77.8. The Bruins are 5.5-point favorites in the latest Chattanooga vs. Belmont odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 140.5. Before making any Chattanooga vs. Belmont picks, make sure you check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Chattanooga vs. Belmont and just released its CBB picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Belmont vs. Chattanooga:

  • Chattanooga vs. Belmont spread: Belmont -5.5
  • Chattanooga vs. Belmont over-under: 140.5 points 
  • Chattanooga vs. Belmont money line: Belmont -230, Chattanooga +190
  • CHAT: The Mocs are 14-3 against the spread in their last 17 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game 
  • BEL: The Bruins are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against a team with a winning percentage above .600 

Why Belmont can cover 

Junior guard Ben Sheppard, who had his 10-game double-digit scoring streak snapped on Dec. 7, looks to start a new one against Chattanooga. Sheppard finished with nine points and a season-high four steals in the win over Saint Louis. He has scored as many as 25 points in a game, doing that twice in a win over Iona on Nov. 26 and during a loss at Ohio on Nov. 9. Sheppard is a two-time Georgia Class AAA first-team all-state selection.

Also paving the way on offense is freshman guard Will Richard. Richard averages 11.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and one steal per game. He has had back-to-back monster games, scoring a season-high 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds in an 85-73 win at Samford on Dec. 5. He followed that up with a 15-point, six-rebound effort at Saint Louis.

Why Chattanooga can cover

Redshirt sophomore guard Malachi Smith has been nothing short of spectacular on the road, averaging 24.8 points in five away games. Overall, he is averaging 18.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals. He is red-hot from the floor, connecting on 51.6 percent of his field goals, including 45.7 percent of his 3-pointers, and 84.6 percent of his free throws. He has scored in double figures in eight games this season, including five games with 20 or more. 

Also powering the Mocs is redshirt senior David Jean-Baptiste, who is averaging 15 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Jean-Baptiste is also one of the most accurate shooters on the team, connecting on 43.6 percent of his field goals, including 43.4 percent from beyond the arc. He also is a 93.8 percent foul shooter. He has reached double figures in eight of 10 games, including a season-high 26 points in an opening night 75-64 win over Loyola Marymount on Nov. 9.

How to make Chattanooga vs. Belmont picks

SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 148 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in almost 80 percent of simulations. You can only get the model's Belmont vs. Chattanooga picks at SportsLine. 

So who wins Chattanooga vs. Belmont? And which side of the spread hits in nearly 80 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Chattanooga vs. Belmont spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $2,400 on its college basketball picks the last five years, and find out.