Offense meets defense when the Citadel Bulldogs (10-10, 2-7 SoCon) welcome the Furman Paladins (16-5, 5-4 SoCon) to McAlister Field House. The game gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 31, 2019.
Furman Paladins at Citadel Bulldogs Free Prediction
In the Paladins’ last contest, they were defeated by the Samford Bulldogs, 75-73. Making free throws was one of Samford’s largest strengths. They were 13-16 (81.3 percent), while the Paladins were 11-14 (78.6 percent). Matt Rafferty was the top scorer from either team with 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
The Bulldogs edged the VMI Keydets in their last matchup, 84-82. Citadel held the Keydets to an effective field goal percentage of 0.460 (below the 0.532 mark opponents have averaged against Citadel this season). VMI, meanwhile, did a terrific job of making free throws (25-31; 80.6 percent). Lew Stallworth was the top scorer from either team with 29 points on 11-for-14 shooting from the field.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Rafferty scored a game-high 28 points in the first game, in which the Paladins defeated the Bulldogs 101-85. He also had 12 rebounds. The Paladins had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (44.4 vs. 8.3) and had a better free throw rate (0.177 vs. 0.101).
This battle pits one of the NCAA’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses. Citadel ranks 39th in offensive efficiency and Furman is 56th in defensive efficiency.
Furman at Citadel Betting Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – Furman, ATS Winner – Furman, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Furman ranks seventh in three pointers attempted per game (29.0) while Citadel ranks 285th in three pointers allowed per game (31.1).
The Paladins average 16.4 assists per game, which ranks 28th in the NCAA. The Bulldogs rank 260th in assists allowed per game (18.1).
Furman ranks 90th in rebounds per game (37.1) while Citadel ranks 283rd in rebounds allowed per game (42.5).
The Paladins average 9.0 steals per game, which ranks 12th in the nation. The Bulldogs rank 162nd in steals allowed per game (7.2).
Citadel blocks 3.7 opponent shots per game, which ranks 81st in the country. Furman ranks 130th in blocks allowed per game (3.7).
Bettings Trends:
The Paladins’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 6.0, down from 11.6 for the season.
During their last five games, the Bulldogs have scored an average of 74.8 points per game (15.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 82.4 points per game (4.0 below their season average).
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