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The FAU Owls take on the UTEP Miners. Our college basketball odds series has our FAU UTEP prediction and pick. Find out how to watch FAU UTEP.
The college basketball season has featured lots of great stories no one anticipated. Florida Atlantic being 18-1 through 19 games and achieving the first top-25 poll ranking in school history is certainly one of them. The Owls have a formidable team and have made themselves into a steely bunch which is tough to knock out. Florida Atlantic has at times dominated, but the Owls' biggest wins this season — chiefly over North Texas — have involved late comebacks and a clear-cut ability to take a punch and then respond. Florida Atlantic's quality is manifested in several ways. One note which stands out is that the Owls have won seven consecutive road games, encompassing nonconference and conference opponents. That is hard for any program, anywhere in the country, to achieve.
People will say that Conference USA just isn't that difficult, but the point which gets underemphasized when discussing mid-major teams dominating their conferences is that all the opponents are gunning for the top dog. Taking everyone's best shot night in and night out is not easy in any conference. Those other teams might not be very good, but they all reserve their best shot for the leader. That is what FAU has managed to handle so well through mid-January.
Here are the FAU-UTEP college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: FAU-UTEP Odds
FAU Owls: -5.5 (-104)
UTEP Miners: +5.5 (-118)
Over: 132.5 (-114)
Under: 132.5 (-106)
How To Watch FAU vs. UTEP
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT
*Watch LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why FAU Could Cover The Spread
The Owls have earned the benefit of the doubt, by any stretch and measurement. They win blowouts, they win close games. They win wire to wire, they win when coming from behind late. They find all sorts of ways to win and are not the product of one player or one specific advantage in one component of any game they play. They are balanced, diverse, tough, skilled — they own a considerable collection of competitive virtues. The seven straight road wins are hard to overlook as FAU comes down to El Paso for this game against UTEP.
The Miners are a tough team, but what also emerges in a discussion of UTEP is that the Miners have had trouble closing down games against good teams. They had a large lead against UAB and let that game slip away in overtime. UTEP has lost two other games decided by two points or fewer in recent weeks, one against Rice (one point loss) and one against Louisiana Tech (two-point loss). If this is a three- or four-point game with four minutes left in regulation, which team are you trusting? FAU is the obvious answer. The Owls will make the timely plays and extend their lead to eight or nine points and cover the spread.
Why UTEP Could Cover The Spread
If the Miners can play their best defensive game, they have a shot, and they have a coach who can get that kind of performance out of them. Joe Golding is a widely admired and respected coach who is one of the best teachers of defense in college basketball. He needs to get better players in order to build the program to the level he needs, but he can come with with a great defensive plan which will put his players in the best possible position to succeed. He can bottle up FAU and keep this game very close.
Final FAU-UTEP Prediction & Pick
UTEP will give it a good run, but over 40 minutes, the talent and quality of Florida Atlantic will prove decisive. Owls by eight.
Final FAU-UTEP Prediction & Pick: FAU -5.5
