Conference USA foes will collide when the Florida Atlantic Owls (6-18) take on the Texas San Antonio Roadrunners (4-20) at FAU Arena. The game begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 11.
The Owls are hoping for a better outcome after their 104-67 loss to UAB in their last matchup. Marquan Botley finished with 16 points to lead the game. The Roadrunners, meanwhile, are coming off a demoralizing 109-91 loss at the hands of Marshall in their last game. Christian Wilson had a good shooting night, leading the game with 29 points.
Wilson has upped his play over the last five games for the Roadrunners, averaging 24.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals.
Second-chance opportunities could be few and far between for the Owls in this one. They rank 337th in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of just 23.1%), while Texas San Antonio is 31st-best in the nation on the defensive glass (DR% of 74.7%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Owls won the first game 86-71. Despite the loss, Wilson was a top performer in the game with 28 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and one three-pointer.
The Owls enter the game with records of 6-18 Straight Up (SU) and 9-11-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The most recent ten-game stretch for the Owls has gone great. Over that span, Florida Atlantic is averaging 74.3 points per game, well over their season average of 65.0. The Florida Atlantic defense has been struggling to keep points off the board during its most recent matchups. The Owls have given up an average of 85.1 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 73.9 PPG. The Owls have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 5.0 three-pointers made per game. Expect Florida Atlantic to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Roadrunners, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the nation with an average of 22.1 fouls per game.
As for their opponent, the Roadrunners head into the game with records of 6-12 ATS and 4-20 SU. The last 10 games have really brought out the best of the Roadrunners on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 77.4 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 85.2.
In their previous meeting this season, Florida Atlantic beat Texas San Antonio, but Texas San Antonio still leads the head-to-head record, 2-1 SU. The Roadrunners also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – FlaAtl, ATS Winner – FlaAtl
Notes
In its last game, Texas San Antonio lost by a margin of 18 points. Florida Atlantic is 0-5 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Texas San Antonio has a 0-6 record in blowouts.
The Florida Atlantic Owls average a field goal percentage of 40.0% this season. The Texas San Antonio Roadrunners have an abysmal record of 4-20 when opponents have a FG% of 40.0% or greater.
The Florida Atlantic Owls rank lower for their field goal percentage (328th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (322nd), but the Texas San Antonio Roadrunners have a better FG% ranking (294th) than eFG% ranking (300th).
On average, Florida Atlantic makes 5.1 steals per game. Texas San Antonio is a subpar 4-11 when it gives up at least 5 steals.
