#24 Furman v LSU
Vegas Favorite – LSU (-8.5), O/U – 148.5
As one of the 8 remaining undefeated teams in college basketball, the 12-0 Furman Paladins have beaten two elite teams already this season: the defending NCAA champions Villanova and Loyola, another Final 4 participant from last year. They have been performing great on both offense and defense so far this season, scoring an average 83.7 points per game as they hold their opponents to just 64.9 on average. Tonight Furman will be going on the road as 8.5 point underdogs to face another strong team, the 8-3 LSU Tigers, who are averaging 81.2 points per game this season while holding their opponents to 71.3. The Tigers haven’t lost a game at home so far this season and two of their three losses were to top ranked teams, the Florida State Seminoles and a still undefeated Houston team. In order for LSU to stay ahead of the powerful Furman defense, the Tigers will need to use their offense to maintain control of the ball and shoot more threes than their current season average of 32.8% for 7.4 per game to ensure that they can put up enough points for a victory. With LSU one of the strongest teams on Furman’s remaining schedule, the Paladins will have to leave it all on the court tonight to avoid having their undefeated season spoiled.
Players to Watch
Matt Rafferty (FUR) – ($9,300/43.56 FPPG)
Season Averages : 17.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 4.6 APG
Skylar Mays (LSU) – ($6,900/24.41 FPPG)
Season Averages : 13.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.5 APG
#14 Buffalo vs #20 Marquette
Vegas Favorite – Marquette (-3.5), O/U – 156.5
In this Top 25 matchup, another undefeated team, the Buffalo Bulls, will be looking to keep their unbeaten streak alive. One of the reasons for the Bulls dominance this season is that they have held their opponent to 66.6 points per game on average while their offense averages around 84 points per game. They face a strong opponent tonight in the 9-2 Marquette Golden Eagles, who are scoring an average 77.5 points per game, while only allowing 66.5 to their opponents. Marquette’s only losses this season have been against other powerful ranked teams, the Indiana Hoosiers and the still undefeated Kansas Jayhawks. One way that Marquette can combat Buffalo’s strong defense is to work on picking up rebounds, something that they lead the Big East in with an average of 40 per game while allowing only 33 to opponents. If the Golden Eagles can continue this trend against Buffalo, they hold a better chance of being able to control the ball more which will give them more scoring opportunities. Since Buffalo will be facing a team with a strong defense similar to their own, they will need to continue their strong offensive performance tonight if they hope to keep their unbeaten record.
Players to Watch
CJ Massinburg (BUF) – ($8,200/31.03 FPPG)
Season Averages : 17.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.1 APG
Markus Howard (MARQ) – ($8,500/34.20 FPPG)
Season Averages : 23.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.5 APG