Conference USA foes will lock horns when the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (15-6) face the Florida Atlantic Owls (6-16) at Murphy Athletic Center. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 4.
The Blue Raiders enter this game hoping for similar success after edging Western Kentucky 66-64 in their last matchup. Darnell Harris was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting. The Owls, meanwhile, are coming off an 82-77 win against Charlotte in their last game. Adonis Filer was the team’s top scorer, accounting for 18 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
The Owls may not find many second-chance opportunities in this matchup. They’re ranked 337th in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of 23.0%), whereas Middle Tennessee is 12th-best in the nation on the defensive glass (DR% of 76.0%).
Notes
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have a defensive rating of 97.4 (ranked 64th), while the Florida Atlantic Owls have an offensive rating of 95.7 (ranked 319th).
Florida Atlantic has an average field goal percentage of 40.2%. Middle Tennessee is a winning 8-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the Florida Atlantic Owls both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Middle Tennessee is 146th and 138th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Florida Atlantic is 326th and 319th in these categories.
Middle Tennessee, the 94th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 38.2 rebounds per game. Florida Atlantic does worse, ranked 318th with 32.7.
Florida Atlantic makes an average of 5.1 steals per game. Middle Tennessee has a solid 11-5 record when it allows at least 5 steals.
