The North Texas Mean Green will battle the Florida Atlantic Owls on Friday in the American Athletic Conference Championship Quarterfinals at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. We're here to share our college basketball odds series, make a North Texas-FAU prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
The Mean Green defeated Tulane 81-71 on Thursday in Fort Worth. They led 36-33 at halftime. Then, they gave themselves some breathing room to win. CJ Noland led the way with 23 points. Likewise, Rubin Jones added 15 points. Robert Allen had 13 points. Also, Jason Edwards scored 12 points while shooting 4 for 7 from the floor. North Texas shot 42.2 percent from the floor, including 48 percent from the triples. Conversely, they held Tulane to 42.2 percent from the floor, including 44 percent from beyond the arc. It was a close battle on the boards, with North Texas gaining the slight edge 34-33. Additionally, they forced 14 turnovers.
FAU comes into this showdown with a 14-4 AAC record, including 24-7 overall. Amazingly, they went 13-1 at home. This will be their first appearance in the AAC Tournament. Now, they hope to stun the world by winning it on their first try.
FAU swept the season series this season. First, they defeated North Texas 66-63 at home. They then edged them out 8–76 on the road in their most recent matchup.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: North Texas-FAU Odds
North Texas: +5.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +190
FAU: -5.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -235
Over: 136.5 (-115)
Under: 136.5 (-105)
How to Watch North Texas vs. FAU
Time: 10:05 PM ET/7:05 PM PT
TV: ESPN U
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why North Texas Will Cover The Spread/Win
North Texas is not a team anyone would expect to do anything. Yet, they had a good chance to take down FAU, and they held their own against them twice, eventually running out of steam toward the end. There are five players to watch for this game. Ultimately, how these five do will determine if they win this game.
Noland is a player to watch. However, he did not do so well in his last game against FAU. In fact, he only managed just seven points while shooting 2 for 10. Thus, he cannot do that again. Noland needs to find better shots. Likewise, Jones is a player to watch. But he also struggled in the game against FAU, managing just eight points while shooting 2 for 8. Therefore, he also will need to find a way to get the right shot. Allen is another player that could take more shots. Significantly, he scored six points while shooting 3 for 4 in the last game with FAU.
Edwards was the amazing player who nearly stole the game against FAU. Amazingly, he exploded for 32 points while shooting 11 for 21. The Mean Green would be smart to give him the ball. Then, they should set picks for him and watch him thrive. But what about John Buggs III? No, he is not usually a top player. But he did score 14 points against FAU while shooting 5 for 7 from the floor. They should feed him the ball and see what he can do.
But their inability to dominate the boards ultimately cost them the game. Therefore, they struggled to box out, and it made a significant difference in this game.
North Texas will cover the spread if they can generate a fast offense. Then, they need to box out and win the board battle.
Why FAU Will Cover The Spread/Win
FAU was not the number-one seed for nothing. The Owls were dominating in all aspects of the game. Overall, they were tough to beat all season. There are four players to watch for this game.
Johnell Davis averaged 18.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Furthermore, he shot 47.9 percent from the floor, including 43.8 percent from the three-point line. Center Vladislav Goldin was also efficient, averaging 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting a ridiculous 66.7 percent from the field. Therefore, look for him to be a key factor. Alijah Martin was solid, averaging 13.5 points per game. Also, he shot 42.2 percent from the field, including 35.4 percent from beyond the arc. Nick Boyd is also someone to consider. He averaged 9.5 points per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the field.
FAU will cover the spread if its offense can maintain consistency. Then, it needs to force North Texas to take bad shots.
Final North Texas-FAU Prediction & Pick
Both games went down to the wire. Now, they will be on even territory. The only thing that could possibly hurt North Texas is tired legs. Otherwise, if they can continue to play stingy defense, they will be able to keep up with FAU. FAU is the top seed. Ultimately, they will probably win this game. But North Texas is good enough on defense to make this a game. The game will go down to the wire, with North Texas covering the spread.
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Final North Texas-FAU Prediction & Pick: North Texas: +5.5 (-110)
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