The Furman Paladins visit the Appalachian State Mountaineers at 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, North Carolina. It’s the second of 30 NCAA basketball games today. It features a pair of teams with a winning record as a tune-up before the early conference games on the NCAAB schedule.
While these non-conference games won’t count toward the college basketball standings, they could explain how teams will fair in their respective leagues as they vie for a coveted NCAA tournament bid in March.
Furman Paladins vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers Information
Each team has won its last two games. Furman is 4-2, while Appalachian State is 5-2. History would say the best Furman vs. Appalachian State bet would be on the Paladins, who lead the all-time series 48 to 39. That includes four straight wins. However, NCAAB odds show Furman as eight-point favorites with an over/under of 141.5. Paladins’ odds on the moneyline are -350, while Appalachian State’s odds are +260.
Last Game Score
Furman beat up Tusculum 102-74 on November 25. Marcus Foster and Jalen Slawson each had 22 points as two of four scorers in double figures. The offense was particularly efficient despite 14 turnovers. They converted 60% of field goals and 58% of 3-pointers on 19 attempts. They also made 13 of 15 from the free-throw line.
Appalachian State won a tight game at East Tennessee State 74-70 on November 23. A balanced scoring attack saw five Mountaineers in double figures, led by Donovan Gregory’s 14 points. The Mountaineers limited themselves to just ten turnovers and generated 15 steals.
Furman Paladins vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers Analysis
Expect this game to be offensive in the best way. Both teams have put up a lot of points this season and will use their above-average offenses to exploit the below-average defenses on each side.
The Paladins rank 21st in scoring, averaging 84.3 points per game, and have the fifth-best field goal percentage at 51.9%. They are 65th in 3-point percentage at 37.6% and convert a healthy 72.8% of free throw attempts to rank 114th.
Defensively, the Paladins are 203rd in allowing 69.7 points per game. The defensive efficiency is much worse. They allow teams to convert 45.9% of field goal attempts, ranking 295th, and 38.1% of 3-point attempts, ranking 330th. Somehow, though, opponents only make 57.3% of field goal attempts.
The rebounding margin is decent. Furman grabs 32.8 boards per contest to rank 174th, but defensively it allows 26.8 per contest, which ranks 18th nationally.
Four college basketball players average double figures for the Paladins. Mike Bothwell leads the way at 19.8 points per game, with Slawson behind him at 15.8 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game.
The Mountaineers, meanwhile, are surpassing Appalachian State predictions from before the season. Whether the Mountaineers’ offense can hold up against quality competition will be tested on Tuesday.
They rank 54th nationally in scoring 80.6 points per game. They convert 44.6% of field goal attempts, which ranks 184th, and 35.3% of 3-point attempts, which ranks 134th. Their free throw conversion rate is 73.4%, which ranks 97th.
Defensively, there is room for improvement, particularly on the perimeter. The Mountaineers allow 69.4 points per game, which ranks 200th. They hold teams to 39.4% field goal efficiency, which is the 81st-best rate nationally. However, teams convert 36.2% of 3-pointers, which is 291st.
The rebounding margin needs to improve for the Mountaineers. They pull down 35 per game to rank 98th but allow 35.1, which is 330th.
Three players average double figures, though seven players average at least 6.0 points per game. Gregory paces the team with 14.6 points per game, while Tyree Boykin is behind him at 12.7 points and Terence Harcum at 11.1 points per game.
Justin Abson is the leading rebounder at 5.7 per contest and averages 2.7 blocks per game in roughly 21 minutes of action.
Fortunately, nobody is listed on the college basketball injury report for this game.
Odds Breakdown
There are games with much better NCAA basketball teams happening Tuesday, but this should be a good game. Here’s a breakdown of the betting totals for each team that fans should know before making a Furman vs. Appalachian State bet.
Furman Paladins
Furman has been favored in all but one game this season. The Paladins are 1-1 when favored by 7.5 to 9.5 points, as they are Tuesday. They are 1-0 when favored by 5 to 7 points. They are 2-2 against the spread overall and 1-0 against the spread at night. Those are the same numbers for over/under this season.
Appalachian State Mountaineers
The Mountaineers are 2-0 against the spread as underdogs this season and have won both games outright. They are 3-3 against the spread overall but 1-3 at home and 2-3 at night. They are 4-2 against over/under, including 3-1 at home and 3-2 at night.
Furman Paladins vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers Betting Pick and Prediction
This figures to be a high-paced game. The favorite is 3-1-1 against the spread in the last five meetings, and the home team is 3-1-1 against the spread in the last five meetings. So those numbers will surely be split with the favored Paladins visiting the Mountaineers on Tuesday.
Appalachian State has not won outright since March 9, 2013, when the Mountaineers claimed a 74-60 decision. That was the last time they were favored (by six) and covered. The last meeting was December 10, 2021, when Furman won 73-65 to extend its winning streak to four games in the series.
However, it was a push at -8, and the under 139 hit by a point.
The Furman vs. Appalachian State bet favors the Mountaineers at 71% of public bets, while 53% are on the over.
Here are our picks:
- Against the spread
Eight is a pretty large number, and the Mountaineers are showing signs of turning their program around. We’re going to pick them to cover, and while a win isn’t out of the equation, we’ll say Furman wins. Appalachian State +8
- Over/under
The over/under is a healthy amount, and it will probably be pushed right up to that, but with an increase in competition, we’ll say it’s just under 141.5.
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