North Texas vs Florida Atlantic Betting Advice
After the SEC got the spotlight on Wednesday, North Texas vs FAU highlights a Thursday night college basketball slate that is loaded with some intriguing mid-major matchups. Sportsmemo college basketball handicapper JM Sports shares his thoughts on tonight’s clash between the Mean Green and the Owls.
Check out our College Basketball Free Picks page for betting thoughts from some of the country’s top handicappers.
North Texas vs Florida Atlantic Betting Odds
Thursday, December 29 | Conference USA Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | North Texas Mean Green -2.5 vs Florida Atlantic Owls |
Total: | 123.5 Points |
Game Time: | 8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT |
Arena: | The Super Pit in Denton, TX (Odds Above by DraftKings) |
TV: | ESPN+ |
North Texas vs Florida Atlantic Betting Breakdown
Florida Atlantic’s lone loss came during the first week of the season when the Owls dropped a road game at Ole Miss. Since then, FAU has rattled off ten-straight wins against less-than-stellar competition, but the Owls did earn a surprising win at Florida during this run.
North Texas is riding a five-game win streak of its own with a couple notable victories over solid programs like UMass and Grand Canyon. The Mean Green opened its Conference-USA slate with a thumping 24-point win over UTEP last Thursday.
North Texas shot 50-percent from the field in that game, including nearly 66-percent from two-point range. Abou Ousmane was 15-of-19 from the field, resulting in a game-high 37 points while also pulling down 11 boards.
Free Throws Cause Concern for Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic comes into this game No. 9 in the nation in effective field goal percentage, shooting nearly 57-percent as a team. In the Owls’ 26-point win over Florida International to open conference play, the Owls shot 61-percent from inside the arc with four double-digit scorers.
Florida Atlantic is No. 10 in the country in three-point shooting and top-50 inside the arc, but for whatever reason, the Owls struggle at the free throw line connecting at just over 65-percent this season.
Making free throws on the road in a tough environment will be important for the Owls tonight because North Texas plays aggressive defense, and FAU will probably get some trips to the line.
North Texas Needs Offensive Improvement
Move over, Virginia, there’s a new sheriff in town. North Texas has been playing at the slowest pace in the country this season. Rebounding will be a huge factor in this game, particularly on the Florida Atlantic side.
North Texas is not a good team on offense. The Mean Green are in the bottom-ten percentile in two-point shooting, but they are a fantastic offensive rebounding team. The last thing Florida Atlantic wants to do is play defense for 27 seconds, force a missed shot, lose the rebound then defend for another 15 seconds.
North Texas vs Florida Atlantic Prediction
One of the biggest advantages that this Florida Atlantic team has is its depth, where a huge portion of their minutes have come off the bench this season.
North Texas’ defense and slow pace will cause issues for anyone that they play, but Florida Atlantic has the depth to throw a variety of different pieces into the mix. The Owls have covered the spread in nine-straight games with a line.
Prediction: Florida Atlantic Owls +2.5
Interested in placing a bet on tonight’s North Texas vs Florida Atlantic contest? DraftKings is offering a $1,000 Deposit Bonus for first-time bettors in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, Wyoming and Arizona.
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Thursday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s North Texas vs Florida Atlantic contest.
Happy Hour Tip-Off Show
Get your daily fix of college hoops betting information with Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of handicapping guests.
The Happy Hour Tip-Off Show will broadcast Monday through Friday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT. Pull up a barstool and join us as we break down tonight’s college basketball card, including possibly this North Texas vs Florida Atlantic clash, from a sports betting perspective.
College Basketball Odds Screen
Sportsmemo’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books.
Track the college basketball point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s college basketball games, including this North Texas vs Florida Atlantic showdown, from your desktop or phone.
**************************************************
Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?
- Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Live odds updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
- Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips to help you become a better sports bettor. Wee also recommend browsing through our sports betting tips video library.
- Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.
Make sure to bookmark all the above!