After one of its most impressive wins of the year, FAU looks to keep the momentum going when the Owls host Wichita State in Thursday’s American Conference game.
Florida Atlantic (11-6, 3-1) is coming off Sunday’s 89-79 win over defending regular season and American Conference tournament champion Memphis. In handing Memphis its first American Conference loss of the season, FAU outscored the Tigers by nine points in the second half after leading by two after the first 20 minutes. FAU won despite shooting just 8-for-28 from three-point range (.286). The Owls, however, shot .507 overall from the field (35-for-69). A key statistic – FAU outscored Memphis 19-8 in second-chance points.
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Wichita State (10-7, 2-2) snapped a two-game losing streak with Sunday’s 78-67 home win over North Texas. Senior guard Kenyon Giles, a transfer from UNC Greensboro, scored a career-high 33 points. He has now set a career high in three of the last four games. Giles shot 13-for-17 from the field, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. TJ Williams, a 6-foot-5 freshman averaging 8.9 points, was sidelined against North Texas due to a concussion.
Wichita State at FAU Odds
As of this writing, FAU is a 5.5-point college basketball betting favorite over Wichita State on BetMGM.
The Over/Under is at 155.5 points.
Wichita State at FAU On TV
Tipoff for the Wichita State at Florida Atlantic game is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
The game is televised on ESPN2.
Wichita State at FAU Prediction
I like Wichita State covering the points.
FAU is 7-1 at home, with the lone loss 70-65 on Nov. 30 to St. Bonaventure. Wichita State is 2-2 on the road, and all four games have been close. The losses have been 62-59 at Boise State and 104-100 in double overtime at Charlotte. The wins on the road were 74-69 in overtime at Northern Iowa and 75-70 at UAB.
None of the four road games have been decided by more than five points.
Granted, FAU is better than those teams, but Wichita State has still managed to play close road games. (In addition, for what it is worth, FAU won by the same margin of victory at UAB that Wichita State did in a 76-71 triumph).
This will be an interesting matchup between a top offensive team and a strong defensive club. FAU is averaging 83.5 points per game, which is fourth in the American Conference, while Wichita State allows 68.9 points per game, which is second. On the other side, Wichita State averages 78.2 points, while FAU allows 73.2.
As the statistics indicate, Wichita State looks to play at a slower tempo, while Florida Atlantic will attempt to pick up the pace.
FAU averages 70.4 possessions per 40 minutes according to KenPom.com, while Wichita State averages 65.7 possessions per 40. The Owls average 15.35 fast break points per game, while Wichita State averages 7.94.
A positive for Wichita State is that the Shockers are third in the American in three-point percentage (.366) and also third in defending the three (.310). FAU shoots .347 from deep and allows opponents to shoot at a .353 clip.
One thing to watch: FAU attempts 27.1 three-pointers per game while Wichita State attempts 21.0. The statistics suggest that Wichita State would do well to get a few more three-point attempts above its average.
Wichita State’s Kenyon Giles is third in the American in scoring (18.6 ppg.), while 6-foot-6 senior Karon Boyd is the other double-figure scorer (10.8).
Devin Vanterpool, a 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore, leads FAU in scoring (16.3 PPG) while Kanaan Carlyle averages 15.3 points.
