Who’s Playing
SMU Mustangs @ FAU Owls
Current Records: SMU 19-7, FAU 20-6
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena — Boca Raton, Florida
- TV: ESPN2
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $140.00
What to Know
We’ve got another exciting American Athletic matchup on schedule as the SMU Mustangs and the FAU Owls are set to tip at 7:00 p.m. ET on February 22nd at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena. SMU is coming into the match hot, having won their last six games.
SMU scored the most points they’ve had all season to find success on Sunday. They simply couldn’t be stopped as they easily beat the Tigers 106-79 at home. SMU has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 19 points or more this season.
Among those leading the charge was Ricardo Wright, who went 6 for 8 from beyond the arc en route to 26 points and 1 assist. As a matter of fact, that’s the most points he has scored all season. Samuell Williamson was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, the matchup between FAU and the Bulls on Sunday hardly resembled the 60-58 effort from their previous meeting. The Owls fell to the Bulls 90-86. FAU didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Vladislav Goldin, who scored 23 points along with two blocks. He didn’t help FAU’s cause all that much against the Owls on Thursday but the same can’t be said for this game. The team also got some help courtesy of Johnell Davis, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds and five assists.
Even though they lost, FAU were working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. This was only their second loss (out of nine games) when they’ve passed the ball that well.
The Mustangs pushed their record up to 19-7 with that win, which was their ninth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 83.8 points per game. As for the Owls, their loss dropped their record down to 20-6.
While only SMU took care of their fans the last time they played, neither team managed to cover. Looking forward to Thursday, FAU is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 6.5 points. This contest will be their 22nd straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 8-13 against the spread).
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: SMU have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 39.8 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like FAU struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 38 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Odds
FAU is a solid 6.5-point favorite against SMU, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Owls as a 5.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 154 points.
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