UAB is looking to bounce back from an exhausting loss to Memphis when the Blazers play host to Florida Atlantic tonight.
The Blazers (19-10, 12-4) led Memphis by six at halftime but looked defeated late in the second half as they watched the Tigers explode for 52 second-half points, including 20 points in the final eight minutes to pull away for the 88-81 win. There was still a chance that the Blazers could secure the top seed in the AAC tournament if they were to win that game.
Now, they’re locked into a second, third, or fourth seed, which means they’ll still have two byes and won’t have to play until the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, FAU (16-13, 9-7) is tied with East Carolina for fifth in the league standings, and cannot climb up to the top four even if the Owls win out. The best they can do is tie Tulane for fourth, but the Green Wave own the tiebreaker.
FAU and UAB met on Jan. 12 where the Blazers won 81-76.
Florida Atlantic at UAB Odds
UAB is a 5.5-point college basketball odds favorite on BetMGM against Florida Atlantic while the Over/Under is at 163.5 points.
The Moneyline for FAU is at -180 and +220 for UAB.
Florida Atlantic at UAB On TV
The matchup between Florida Atlantic and UAB will be televised on ESPN2.
Tonight’s game tips off at 7 p.m. ET.
Florida Atlantic at UAB Prediction
I predict UAB covers the 5.5-point spread. I also predict this game goes over 163.5 points.
I can only imagine how eager the Blazers are to get the taste of that Memphis loss out of their mouths. I think they come into this game on Senior Night and don’t hold back. This will be Yaxel Lendeborg’s final game in Bartow Arena and I expect him to put on a show.
The AAC Preseason Player of the Year had a bad outing against Memphis and was in foul trouble for much of the game. In the previous meeting, the Owls had no answer for Lendeborg, especially in the paint. He finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
It’ll be interesting to see how FAU approaches this game. In its win over South Florida on Sunday, the Owls started 6-foot-7 Kaleb Glenn and 7-foot Matas Vokietaitis to add size to the starting five. It was Glenn’s first start of the season and Vokietaitis’ first start since Jan. 2. It seemed to have worked as the Owls outrebounded USF by eight and that duo had a huge presence in the paint.
The Blazers are the best rebounding team in the league and, in conference games, grab an offensive rebound 39% of the time, which is the top mark in the league. FAU is in the bottom half in rebounding in the AAC and allows o-boards 32.9% of the time, which is third-worst.
If Glenn and Vokietaitis can play in the paint like they did against USF, then they could limit UAB’s ability for second-chance points. Per teamrankings.com, the Blazers average five extra scoring chances per game, which is the 21st best in the country.
Overall, I think UAB’s offense will be too potent for Florida Atlantic and the shots will be falling — especially on Senior Night. Lendeborg leads the team with 17.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game while Alejandro Vasquez adds 11.6 PPG and Christian Coleman chips in with 11.4 PPG and 7.3 RPG.
Glenn leads the Owls off the bench with 12.9 PPG and he grabs 5 RPG. Tre Carroll averages 12.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG and Baba Miller averages 11 PPG and 6.9 RPG.
UAB is 11-12 against the spread as a favorite and FAU is 1-6 ATS as an underdog.
