Contrasting styles clash early Friday morning at TD Arena when the Drake Bulldogs and Florida Atlantic Owls battle for a finals berth at the Charleston Classic.
The high-octane Owls are currently pegged as -4 (-110) favorites in the college basketball odds as they match up with one of the best defensive teams in the nation.
Find out why our Drake vs. FAU prediction and college basketball picks lean towards the Owls handing the Bulldogs their first loss of the year.
Drake vs Florida Atlantic prediction
My best bet
FAU -4 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
The Drake Bulldogs punched their ticket to the final four of the Charleston Classic with an 80-69 win over the Miami Hurricanes.
That's four straight games that the Bulldogs have held their opposition to less than 70 points per game, and they're among the top teams in its conference in scoring defense, allowing just 55.5 points per game.
That helps cover up an offense that's finding its way early on in the year, a Top 90 team in shooting from the field at 48.3% while ranking 112th in 3-point shooting at 35.9% per game.
After averaging 64.5 points the last two games, the 80 points are encouraging, though Drake cleaned up at the free throw line, hitting 24-of-28.
Fourteen offensive rebounds helped them take 12 more field goals than the 'Canes and helped cover up a brutal 4-for-19 night shooting the 3-ball.
The Bulldogs D will get a test from Florida Atlantic, who worked its way into the semifinals with an 86078 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The Florida Atlantic Owls has been out and running early in the season, averaging 94.8 points per game, which is a Top 10 mark in college basketball. They are shooting 49.6% from the field while ranking inside the Top 20 in 3-point shooting at a crisp 41.9%.
The Owls' offensive diversity makes it hard to pin down the person to focus on – through six games, there has been a different leading scorer in each.
No less than nine players are averaging better than 16 minutes per game, with five averaging double digits in scoring, with the three other players at 9.0-9.8 points per game.
Five of its top six scorers are shooting at least 41.9% from distance. We'll see how Drake handles that onslaught, as it's currently limiting opponents to just 28.1% from beyond the arc.
So who prevails? A look at the numbers from KenPom shows that FAU has built its mark up through a tougher strength of schedule, with a 71st ranking.
That's a lot stiffer than what the Bulldogs have faced through its perfect 4-0 run to start the year, sitting at 215th.
I think the level-up in offense will be a lot for the Bulldogs to handle, and their offense won't be able to keep up.
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Drake vs Florida Atlantic odds
Drake vs Florida Atlantic live odds
Drake vs Florida Atlantic opening odds
- Spread: Drake +3.5 (-105) | Florida Atlantic -3.5 (-115)
- Moneyline: Drake (+155) | Florida Atlantic (-190)
- Over/Under: Over 145 (-105) | Under 145.5 (-115)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Drake vs Florida Atlantic betting trend to know
Florida Atlantic has won by single digits in four straight games. Find more college basketball betting trends for Drake vs. Florida Atlantic.
How to watch Drake vs Florida Atlantic
| Location: | TD Arena, Charleston, South Carolina |
| Date: | Friday, 11-22-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 11:30 a.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPNU |
Drake vs Florida Atlantic key injuries
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