The East Tennessee State Buccaneers (19-6, 9-3 SoCon) visit Furman to take on the Paladins (19-5, 8-4 SoCon) in a matchup that pits great offense against tremendous defense. The game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 9, 2019.
East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs. Furman Paladins Free Prediction
In the Buccaneers’ last contest, they were defeated by the Wofford Terriers, 78-76. Wofford’s free throw rate was their biggest advantage over East Tennessee State. The Terriers had a rate of 0.241 (above their season average of 0.183), while the Buccaneers posted a mark of 0.116 (below their season average of 0.185). East Tennessee State’s Jeromy Rodriguez played well, recording 15 points and 17 rebounds.
The Paladins won big over the Western Carolina Catamounts in their last game, 64-45. The Paladins forced 22 turnovers and held the Catamounts to an effective field goal percentage of 0.363 (below their season average of 0.549). With 13 points and 10 rebounds, Matt Rafferty had a solid game for Furman.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, the Paladins lost 79-56. Rafferty had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. The Buccaneers had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.670 vs. 0.417) and had a better free throw rate (0.240 vs. 0.204).
This matchup pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses. Furman currently ranks 57th in offensive efficiency and East Tennessee State ranks 29th in defensive efficiency. Furthermore, the Buccaneers rank 326th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.182), while the Paladins rank fifth in opponents’ FTA rate (0.153).
East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs. Furman Paladins Betting Pick
College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Furman, ATS Winner – Furman, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Furman averages 29.3 three pointers per game, which ranks sixth in the country. East Tennessee State ranks 189th in three pointers allowed per game (23.6).
The Paladins rank 11th in steals per game (9.0) while the Buccaneers rank 151st in steals allowed per game (6.8).
East Tennessee State averages 41.8 rebounds per game, which ranks sixth in the nation. Furman ranks 122nd in rebounds allowed per game (34.3).
The Paladins average 4.0 blocks per game, which ranks 59th in the nation. The Buccaneers rank 137th in blocks allowed per game (3.7).
Furman ranks 26th in assists per game (16.3) while East Tennessee State ranks 88th in assists allowed per game (12.3).
Bettings Trends:
The Buccaneers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 6.8, down from 12.9 for the season.
During their last five games, the Paladins have scored an average of 71.0 points per game (6.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 60.4 points per game (5.6 below their season average).
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