The top-seeded Florida Atlantic Owls will take on the fourth-seeded Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders in a semifinal round of the 2023 Conference USA tournament on Friday. The Blue Raiders (19-13, 11-9 CUSA ), who snapped a two-game losing streak on Thursday, beat Charlotte 66-65 in the quarterfinals. The Owls (29-3, 18-2), who have won five in a row, earned a 75-51 win over Western Kentucky on Thursday. The teams split their regular season games, with the home side winning both times. Florida Atlantic took an 85-67 victory on January 26, while Middle Tennessee State took a 74-70 victory on February 16.
The whistleblower from the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas, is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. MTSU leads the all-time series 22-9, but FAU has won five of the last eight meetings. The Owls are the 8-point favorites in Caesars Sportsbook’s latest Middle Tennessee State vs. Florida Atlantic odds, while the over/under for total runs scored is set at 140.5. Before you lock in FAU vs. MTSU picks, you need to see college basketball predictions and betting tips from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine projection model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters week 76-51 of the college basketball top pick conference tournament this season, returning nearly $1,200 for $100 players. Anyone who has followed him has seen huge returns.
Now the model has focused on FAU vs. MTSU and has just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head over to SportsLine now to see the model choices. Now, here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for MTSU vs. FAU:
- Spread between Middle Tennessee State and Florida Atlantic: Florida Atlantic -8
- Middle Tennessee State vs. Florida Atlantic over/under: 140.5 points
- Middle Tennessee State vs. Florida Atlantic money line: MTSU +285, Florida Atlantic -365
- MTSU: Blue Raiders are 5-1 ATS in their last six games on Friday
- FAU: Owls are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games after a streak win by more than 20 points
- Middle Tennessee State vs. Florida Atlantic pick: See picks on SportsLine
Featured game | Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Middle Tenn. Blue Raiders
Why Florida Atlantic Can Cover
Sophomore Johnell Davis, who is one of three Owls to average double-digit scoring, is averaging 13.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He’s hit double digits in each of the past four games, including 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in Thursday’s quarterfinal win over Western Kentucky. He recorded two double-doubles, including an 18-point, 10-rebound performance in a 76-74 win at Florida on November 14. He scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 79-53 victory over Florida International on December 17.
Second-year guard Alijah Martin is also powered by Florida Atlantic. He is coming off a performance of nine points, seven rebounds and one assist in Thursday’s quarterfinal victory. He’s hit double digits in 18 games, including 20 or more points on three occasions. His best game was a 26-point effort in a 90-85 overtime win over Louisiana Tech on Feb. 11.
Why MTSU can cover
Junior guard Camryn Weston has been on fire lately. He had 22 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer, and grabbed three rebounds in Thursday’s quarterfinal win over Charlotte, the third straight game he scored 10 or more points. He scored 16 points and caught seven boards in a 74-70 win over Florida Atlantic on Feb. 16. For the season, he averaged 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He connects on 45.7% of his field goals and 75.7% of his free throws.
Senior forward Deandre Dishman just missed a double-double against Charlotte. He scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He recorded three double-doubles during the year, the last on Jan. 11 in a 71-68 win at Rice. In that game, he scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. For the year, he is averaging 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals.
How to make picks MTSU vs. Florida Atlantic
SportsLine’s model leans into the total, projecting a combined 142 points. The model also indicates that one side of the gap hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see model choices on SportsLine.
So who wins FAU against MTSU? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you should jump to, all from the model who crushed his college basketball picks, and find out.