Liberty at Florida Atlantic Tips & Projections
Flames Visit Owls in Battle of Solid Teams
It’s a game that will likely fly under the radar of the casual college basketball fan, but the game between Liberty and No. 13 Florida Atlantic is a good one. The Flames will bring a 6-0 record into the contest, where they’ll face 5-1 Florida Atlantic. The Owls have played a much tougher schedule and have a few quality wins. But FAU also has an unexplainable loss to a very average Bryant team at home. The Liberty at Florida Atlantic tips are going to show the Owls being favored by 7 points and the total on the game is 145.5.
Liberty Flames at FAU Owls
Date, time:
Location: Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena, Boca Raton, Florida
Line: FAU -7
Total: 145.5
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Liberty Schedule Leaves Lots to Be Desired
The Flames are 6-0, but this will be the first game Liberty has played against a team in the top 100 of the KenPom rankings. But Liberty has gone 5-0 against the spread in the lined games its played so far, so the Flames are exceeding expectations against the teams they’ve played.
The Flames are going to slow things down a little bit. Liberty ranks No. 297 in Pomeroy’s adjusted pace ratings. The Flames score 85.8 points due to shooting 53.1% from the field and 42.4% on 3-pointers. Liberty is No. 27 in adjusted offensive efficiency ratings and No. 1 in effective field goal percentage. The Flames don’t give themselves many chances with offensive rebounds. But they do take care of the basketball and keep turnovers down to a minimum. The Flames aren’t a great shooting team from the foul line, ranking No. 294 at 65.8%. If that doesn’t improve, it will hurt the Flames during the season.
On defense, Liberty is above average, ranking No. 73 in the efficiency ratings. The Flames are solid against the 3-point shot and average against the 2-pointer. Liberty does a good job on the boards and ranks No. 9 in offensive rebounds allowed. The Flames are allowing 60.8 points per game to teams averaging 70.1 points.
Owls Climb 6 Spots in Latest AP Poll
Florida Atlantic climbed six spots in the latest poll after beating Butler, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech to win the ESPN Events Invitational. The Owls were 2-1 against the NCAA basketball odds to move to 4-2 ATS on the season. FAU defeated Butler 91-86 as 5.5-point favorites. The Owls are 3-3 in totals.
Florida Atlantic is scoring 83 points per game on 49.4% shooting. The Owls rank in the top 20 in Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency ratings and effective field goal percentage. FAU shoots well from the field and doesn’t make too many turnovers. The Owls are a little better from the inside, but are a pretty good 3-point shooting team, as well. FAU doesn’t really have any weaknesses offensively.
The Owls are holding teams to 42% shooting from the field, but have allowed a few offensive rebounds. FAU is decent at forcing turnovers and pretty solid overall. Florida Atlantic ranks slightly higher in 3-point defense than 2-point defense, but are decent in both.
What to Expect
Both teams like to shoot the 3-pointer, with Liberty averaging 29 per game and FAU taking 25 per game, so that’s where the total is likely to be decided. If the teams are hitting their outside shots, the game will likely go over. If not, the under has a pretty good chance of cashing.
The Liberty at Florida Atlantic tips show Liberty hasn’t been a good road team the past few seasons. The Flames are 7-14 against the spread on the road the last 2+ seasons. Liberty is also just 2-5 ATS as an underdog, so this isn’t its ideal location.
The Liberty at Florida Atlantic tips do show this is a decent spot for the Owls, who are 31-18 as a favorite the last 2+ seasons. FAU is 21-12 against the spread at home in that time.
Who to Bet On?
You always have to worry about a letdown when looking at a team like Florida Atlantic. But the fact Liberty is undefeated could be enough to get their attention and have the Owls focused. FAU plays Charleston on Saturday, so it shouldn’t be looking ahead to that game.
This is also a big game for Liberty, as its a chance to see how the team stacks up against a quality opponent. The Flames will turn around and play Charleston on Friday, so this is the first of a back-to-back situation.
The spread on the game is where it should be, but until Liberty shows it can beat the likes of FAU, it’s a little hard to back the Flames. Take the Owls -7 as one of your NCAA picks today.
