The North Texas Mean Green welcome the Samford Bulldogs to The Super Pit. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Nov. 24.
The Mean Green lost a close one to Idaho 65-63 on Monday. Jeremy Combs had a good game in defeat for North Texas, recording 14 points and 14 rebounds to earn his second double-double of the season. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off an 83-79 win over Troy on Monday. Matt Rose played well for Samford, accounting for 13 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
The Mean Green start the season off cold Against The Spread (ATS) with a 0-1 record, while sporting a 2-1 Straight Up (SU) record. The Mean Green have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire nation, averaging 95.0 points per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, teams have to fight for open shots against the Mean Green, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .358. The Mean Green do a great job keeping their opponents off of the glass and limiting second-chance points. They average 34.0 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in Division I.
As for their opponent, the Bulldogs have a record of 1-1 ATS and 3-1 SU. They average 5.5 blocks per game, good for 50th in the nation.
North Texas and Samford will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – NorTx, ATS Winner – NorTx
Notes
North Texas is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
North Texas is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home.
North Texas scores 95.0 points per home game (ranked 39th). Samford ranks a poor 267th in points allowed on the road, allowing 82.5 points.
The North Texas Mean Green have a defensive rating of 85.8 (ranked 32nd), while the Samford Bulldogs have an offensive rating of 100.7 (ranked 245th).
The Samford Bulldogs average a field goal percentage of 40.9% this season. The North Texas Mean Green are a winless 0-1 when opponents have a FG% of 40.9% or greater.
The North Texas Mean Green and the Samford Bulldogs both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. North Texas is 16th and sixth in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Samford ranks 295th and 268th in these categories.
North Texas ranks 92nd in blocks per game with 4.3 and Samford ranks 50th with 5.5 blocks per game.
The Samford Bulldogs rank 56th in offensive rebounds, and the North Texas Mean Green rank ninth in the nation in defensive rebounds.
Samford has forced an average turnover rate of 19.5% this season. In games where its turnover rate is 19.5% or higher, North Texas is an even 1-1.
