Florida Atlantic vs UAB Betting Preview
The top two teams in Conference USA will square off on Thursday night in Boca Raton as Florida Atlantic plays host to Jordan Walker and the UAB Blazers. The Owls have opened as 2.5-point home favorites over the visitors from Birmingham, with the total set at 147 points.
Florida Atlantic vs UAB Betting Odds
| Thursday, January 5 | C-USA Basketball Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Florida Atlantic Owls -2.5 vs UAB Blazers |
| Total: | 147 Points |
| Arena: | Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena in Boca Raton, Florida |
| Game Time: | 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT |
| TV: | ESPN+ |
Florida Atlantic vs UAB Analysis
Florida Atlantic holds the nation’s third-longest active winning streak at 11. The Owls dropped their first D-1 game against Ole Miss but have won every game since then, including a pair of top-60 wins against Florida and North Texas.
UAB is going to be in an interesting spot this year. Last season, the Blazers were the hunters on their path to a C-USA title. Walker was (and very much still is) one of the best scorers in the country and UAB gave Houston a battle in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. But now Walker and Co. are the hunted and the Blazers have a bullseye on their back. Charlotte gave UAB a good game in their conference opener right before Christmas, and UTEP took the Blazers to double overtime a week later. UAB now has the target on its back, which is not really a role that this team has played with very often. This is also UAB’s first conference road game after all three of their earlier wins have come at home.
Florida Atlantic ranks inside KenPom’s top-50 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, but the Owls still have some questions to answer at the free throw line. First off, they don’t get there very often. FAU ranks No. 325 in free throw rate compared to field goal attempts. And when they do get there, they miss a lot. The Owls are shooting 66.7-percent from the foul line this season. Free throws account for 13-percent of Florida Atlantic’s points this season, which is bottom-15 in the country.
On the flip side, UAB gets to the free throw line a lot, and the Blazers make them at a much better clip. So it’ll be interesting to see how this game is officiated, and what kind of whistle UAB will get on the road.
FAU head coach Dusty May is thankful for the week that his team has had off between games, because his Owls are going from the slowest opponent in D-1 basketball (North Texas) to one of the fastest. An average FAU game has seen 68 possessions per team this season. The Mean Green were able to hold the Owls to a 58-possession game last week. So Coach May is appreciative of the week off to get his team back up to speed. Literally.
Florida Atlantic vs UAB Prediction
FAU has covered the spread in ten-straight games. UAB has only played one defense in KenPom’s top-50, and the Blazers lost by double digits. The Owls have won five of the last seven in this series. The Blazers are going to get everyone’s best effort ’til the end of the season in March. Florida Atlantic looks like it has the tools to take down UAB. Lay the small number with the home favorite.
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