Conference USA foes will collide when the Florida Atlantic Owls (7-22) play the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (19-9) at FAU Arena. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 3.
The Owls are hoping for a better outcome after their 71-63 loss to FIU the last time they played. Nick Rutherford was the team’s high scorer, recording 16 points. The Blue Raiders, meanwhile, are coming off an 83-74 win against Marshall in their last game. Perrin Buford led the team in scoring with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Blue Raiders winning the first matchup 85-73. Buford had a stellar game with 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks.
The Owls enter the game with records of 7-22 Straight Up (SU) and 10-15-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Owls have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 73.2 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 66.6 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the Blue Raiders have records of 12-15-1 ATS and 19-9 SU. Middle Tennessee is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, making .389 of their shots from three-point range. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Blue Raiders allow just 68.3 points per road game, ranking them 38th in the nation.
The Blue Raiders’ win over Florida Atlantic in their last clash bumped their SU record over their most recent meetings to 8-2. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – MiddTn, ATS Winner – MiddTn
Notes
“Florida Atlantic is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Florida Atlantic is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 8 of Florida Atlantic’s last 10 games “.
“Florida Atlantic is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida Atlantic’s last 5 games at home”.
“Florida Atlantic is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Middle Tennessee”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Florida Atlantic’s last 5 games when playing Middle Tennessee”.
“Florida Atlantic is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Middle Tennessee”.
“Florida Atlantic is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Middle Tennessee”.
Florida Atlantic scores an average of just 66.6 points per game (ranked 236th). Middle Tennessee ranks 95th in points allowed, giving up 69.0 points per game.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have a defensive rating of 99.7 (ranked 73rd), while the Florida Atlantic Owls have an offensive rating of 97.6 (ranked 307th).
Middle Tennessee has an average field goal percentage of 44.6%. Florida Atlantic is an abysmal 3-15 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Florida Atlantic Owls and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Florida Atlantic is 306th and 292nd in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Middle Tennessee is 156th and 114th in these categories.
Florida Atlantic, the 89th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.1 per game. Middle Tennessee does worse, ranked 192nd with 3.2.
Middle Tennessee has forced an average turnover percentage of 19.8% this season. Florida Atlantic has a subpar 1-10 record when its TO% is 19.8% or higher.
