The Liberty Flames take on the FAU Owls. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Liberty FAU prediction and pick. Find how to watch Liberty FAU.

The Florida Atlantic Owls got punched in the mouth early this season. They suffered an absolutely shocking upset loss to Bryant which came from nowhere. A bad loss for a team whose conference schedule provides no high-end wins was a real alarm bell for the Owls, who reached the Final Four last season and came within an eyelash of making the national championship game. FAU badly needed to grab some high-end wins to offset the loss to Bryant. Otherwise, the Owls would have fallen into real trouble with their resume entering December.

This team was under the gun. How would it respond in big games against Butler, Texas A&M, and Virginia Tech?

Quite well, as it turned out.

FAU swept those three games, with the A&M win being the biggest of the three. FAU has significantly boosted its resume and has quieted worries about a dramatic drop-off from last season. This game against Liberty should pose a real test for the Owls. Liberty is unbeaten and has been one of the better mid-major programs in college basketball over the past several years.

Here are the Liberty-FAU College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Liberty-FAU Odds

Liberty Flames: +7.5 (-105)

FAU Owls: -7.5 (-115)

Over: 143.5 (-115)

Under: 143.5 (-105)

How To Watch Liberty vs FAU

Time: 6:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm PT

TV: ESPNU

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Liberty Could Cover the Spread

The Flames beat Vermont, Wichita State, and Furman, all solid programs, in the early stages of the season. Ritchie McKay is an excellent coach. He has done a brilliant job with this Liberty program, getting to the NCAA Tournament and winning games once in the Big Dance. Liberty runs good, structured halfcourt offense with well-organized sets. This is not an easy team to guard. It should give Florida Atlantic a robust challenge. FAU might win outright, but Liberty should feel it can keep this game close — close enough to cover. Liberty hasn't yet lost a game this season. Many will say Liberty is due for a loss. However, when a team wins and wins, that builds confidence and belief. It will take a substantial effort for FAU to not only cover the spread, but merely win the game outright.

Why FAU Could Cover the Spread

The Owls are still for real. If anyone thought last season was a one-hit wonder and something that would not last, the recent flurry of impressive wins over Butler, Texas A&M, and Virginia Tech should have silenced the doubters. FAU not only won those games but won them convincingly, particularly the Virginia Tech game, which was a total runaway in the final 10 to 15 minutes. FAU has quality, balance, depth, skill, everything you could want in a team. Veteran guards with a seasoned big man and enough length to be bothersome on defense create a formidable combination. Liberty is a really good team, but FAU's roster construction is superb. The Owls can adjust their roster to handle a lot of different playing styles. They can win fast-paced games and slow-paced games. They can win high-scoring games and defensive grinders. The flexibility of FAU is in many ways its biggest advantage. The Owls can thwart Liberty at both ends of the floor.

Final Liberty-FAU Prediction & Pick

This is a game to be enjoyed more than a game you want to bet on. Liberty could be really good, better than many think. Stay away from this one.

Final Liberty-FAU Prediction & Pick: FAU -7.5