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The American Athletic Conference will be under the microscope in this one as the UAB Blazers hit the town to take on the North Texas Mean Green. Join us for our College Basketball odds series where our UAB-North Texas prediction and pick will be revealed.
Locked in a dead tie with North Texas with a 5-2 record in conference play, UAB certainly knows what is at stake ahead of this monstrous showdown. Winners in three of their last four games, the Blazers are 13-7 overall en route to being taken seriously within this conference. With an even 3-3 mark when serving as the visiting team, do the Blazers have enough firepower to dip their toes into the victory pool?
Meanwhile, the Mean Green of North Texas are coming off a near-upset win against Florida Atlantic on the road but ultimately couldn't finish the job in the 66-63 loss. As a whole, the Mean Green have been on the winning train with victories in seven of their last nine games. Even more spectacular has been North Texas' has been their elite nature at home. Believe it or not, the Mean Green are a flawless 9-0 in front of the home fans. Will it be enough to put UAB out of their misery?
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: UAB-North Texas Odds
UAB: +7.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +260
North Texas: -7.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -330
Over: 132.5 (-115)
Under: 132.5 (-105)
How to Watch UAB vs. North Texas
Time: 9:00 ET/6:00 PT
TV: ESPNU
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why UAB Will Cover The Spread/Win
Right off the bat, it is important to note that UAB's offense will be in for their stiffest test of the season against a spunky Mean Green defensive bunch. Nevertheless, UAB will keep their fingers crossed on the fact that North Texas is due for an off-night on the defensive end of things.
To add on, the Blazers average 77.6 points per game and can even get after the boards when called upon. Rebounding-wise, the Blazers corral 38.6 boards per game which is the 63rd-most in the sport. Individually speaking, it may be up to leading rebounder Yaxel Lendeborg to grab a hold of some offensive rebounds to maximize the amount of offensive possessions. Without a doubt, capitalizing on every possession against an elite defense like North Texas' could end up being the difference in this ball game.
With UAB's frenzy of an offense comes a plethora of turnovers at times, as the Blazers are committing roughly 11.7 giveaways per game. In comparison to the rest of college basketball, this statistic is something that needs to vastly be improved upon. In fact, this ranks as the 201st-best mark in the nation. Simply put, keeping the turnovers at a minimum will be the secret ingredient in cooking up a spread-covering recipe.
Why North Texas Will Cover The Spread/Win
When glancing upon this team, it becomes obvious quite quickly that their defense is almost second to none. Remarkably enough, North Texas is only allowing a measly 59.1 points per game. Yes, you read that correctly. All together, the most potent part of this team as a whole is their ability to put the clamps down no matter who they are guarding. Furthermore, North Texas has not allowed an offense to score more than 70 points since December 17th. For those of you who are good at counting, that is nine consecutive games where the Mean Green have lived up to their name on the defensive end of the court. When push comes to shove, it is safe to say that North Texas can defend with the best of them even when shots aren't falling for themselves.
It is evident that North Texas isn't known for their shooting prowess, but if they want to guarantee a splendid showing in front of the home crowd, look no further than the Mean Green to make it a priority to hit some shots from deep. Overall, the Mean Green connect on only 7.9 threes per game which is the 140th-most in college basketball, but they did happen to shoot 40% in their narrow defeat to FAU last time out. Anything is possible!
Final UAB-North Texas Prediction & Pick
It's a battle between a high-octane offense and a defense that is as elite as it gets. Buckle up, college basketball fans! In the long run, side with the home team in this one to continue down the path of perfection within the confines of their own arena. Besides, the Mean Green are 11-5 ATS this season while the Blazers are a dead-even 9-9.
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Final UAB-North Texas Prediction & Pick: North Texas -7.5 (-110)
