It will be a meeting between two phenomenal offenses when the Citadel Bulldogs (10-10, 2-7 SoCon) square off against the Furman Paladins (16-5, 5-4 SoCon) at McAlister Field House. The game begins at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 31, 2019.
Furman Paladins at Citadel Bulldogs Betting Odds
In their last outing, the Bulldogs edged the VMI Keydets, 84-82, while the Paladins lost a tough one against the Samford Bulldogs, 75-73.
Citadel’s 0.522 effective field goal percentage was their largest strength over VMI, who had a rate of 0.460. The Bulldogs’ mark was below their season average of 0.549, while the Keydets’ was below the 0.532 mark opponents have averaged against Citadel this season. Furman, on the other hand, held Samford to an offensive rebounding percentage of 18.8 (below their season average of 29.7). Lew Stallworth played a pivotal role for Citadel with 29 points. Meanwhile, Matt Rafferty had a solid performance for Furman, contributing 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
In their first matchup this year, Rafferty led the Paladins to a 101-85 victory. He registered a double-double with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Furman out-rebounded Citadel. The Paladins had 20 offensive rebounds and 53 total rebounds, while the Bulldogs had three and 28, respectively.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength as the high-octane offense of Citadel takes on the top-notch defense of Furman. The Bulldogs rank 39th in offensive efficiency, while the Paladins are 56th in defensive efficiency.
Furman Paladins at Citadel Bulldogs Free Pick
Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Furman, ATS Winner – Citadel, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- Furman ranks seventh in three pointers attempted per game (29.0) while Citadel ranks 285th in three pointers allowed per game (31.1).
- The Paladins rank 12th in steals per game (9.0) while the Bulldogs rank 162nd in steals allowed per game (7.2).
- Citadel ranks 81st in blocks per game (3.7) while Furman ranks 130th in blocks allowed per game (3.7).
- The Paladins average 16.4 assists per game, which ranks 28th in the country. The Bulldogs rank 260th in assists allowed per game (18.1).
- Furman ranks 90th in rebounds per game (37.1) while Citadel ranks 283rd in rebounds allowed per game (42.5).
Bettings Trends:
- The Paladins’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 6.0, down from 11.6 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Bulldogs have scored an average of 74.8 points per game (15.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 82.4 points per game (4.0 below their season average).
