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It's a busy day in the world of college basketball, as 25th-ranked Florida Atlantic will hit the road to take on Middle Tennessee State for some Conference USA action! Join us for our college basketball odds series where our FAU-MTSU prediction and pick will be revealed.
Recently, the Owls were able to surpass Louisiana Tech in thrilling fashion by sneaking past them for a 90-85 overtime victory to improve their conference record to 14-1. Overall, Florida Atlantic is 24-2 and has shined this season as they look to make a deep postseason run in the coming month.
On paper, Middle Tennessee State doesn't possess as flashy of a resume in comparison to Florida Atlantic, and they surely would like to rebound in a big way at home after dropping back-to-back games to Western Kentucky and UAB. As a whole, the Blue Raiders have compiled a 15-11 record overall and currently sit in fourth place among the rest of the squads in the Conference USA Standings.
Here are the FAU-MTSU college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: FAU-MTSU Odds
FAU: -4.5 (-110)
MTSU: +4.5 (-110)
Over: 144.5 (-110)
Under: 144.5 (-110)
How To Watch FAU vs. MTSU
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stream: CBS Sports App
Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why FAU Could Cover The Spread
Believe it or not, the Owls have spent an abundant amount of time impressive more often than not. Not only do they have just two losses next to their name this season, but they are also 16-7 ATS and have surely made many people who bet on them some hard-earned cash.
In order to continue their winning ways against the spread, a lethal dosage from behind the arc will most likely be more than enough to get the job done. Alas, in their most recent win versus Louisiana Tech required all hands on deck for the Owls, which included an extremely productive 40% mark from deep. Overall, FAU is a type of team that should definitely be respected for their three-point shooting, as they are shooting 36% as a team on the year.
Outside of the fact that being proficient from downtown will do wonders for this squad on the road, getting the best from their top playmakers would also be huge for this squad's chances of covering the spread later this evening. This includes sophomore guard Johnell Davis, who is fresh off of a 19-point performance and is FAU's leading scorer at 13.3 PPG this season. Without a doubt, the Owls cannot afford to have their top playmaking specialists be silent throughout tonight's contest, as winning on the road in college basketball is never an easy thing.
Most importantly, FAU is going up against a MTSU bunch that can be active on the defensive side of the ball when it comes to recording blocks and steals, so the importance of taking care of the ball and getting good looks on offense will be critical.
Why MTSU Could Cover The Spread
For starters, things definitely could not be much worse last time out for the Blue Raiders as they trailed the UAB Blazers by as much as 30 points and could not play defense for the life of them. Nevertheless, MTSU has not been very effective on the road with a 3-9 record, but are instead an extremely productive 9-3 within the confines of their home arena. Clearly, having home-court advantage for this tilt may be a bigger deal than most think, as the Blue Raiders always play well at Murphy Center.
Not only does home sweet home serves as a major advantage for this squad, but they also need to step up in a big way defensively. After allowing UAB to shoot 50% from the floor and from three-point range, another type of defensive outing will be a huge n0-no if they want to cover and even pull off the upset victory. Even uglier, the Blue Raiders have surrendered at least 90 points in their previous two losses and have to play some sort of defense if they want any shot in this one.
Last and certainly not least, does MTSU have what it takes to get off to a hot start from the opening tip? The last time these two teams did battle, it was FAU that held a 38-30 halftime lead as they never looked back afterward. With that being said, getting some early stops and earning some trips to the free-throw line by getting the Owls in foul trouble could be the recipe for success later this evening.
Final FAU-MTSU Prediction & Pick
No question, the Blue Raiders are a formidable force on the home floor, but Florida Atlantic as a whole is in an entirely different league at the moment.
Final FAU-MTSU Prediction & Pick: FAU -4.5 (-110)
