The Memphis Tigers (10-3) travel to face off against the Florida Atlantic Owls (6-6) on Thursday, January 2nd. This game will be played at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena in Boca Raton and televised on ESPN2. Memphis is coming off a win in their previous game, while Florida Atlantic is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Michigan State. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.

Memphis Tigers vs Florida Atlantic Owls

The Tigers Are Coming Off A Win

Memphis improved to 10-3 on the season with an 87-70 win over Ole Miss on Saturday. The Tigers, who were -1.5 favorites, covered the spread at home. The total points for the game hit 157, surpassing the O/U line of 151.5.

Memphis led 38-36 at halftime but pulled away in the 2nd half, outscoring Ole Miss 49-34.

The Owls Are Coming Off A Win

Florida Atlantic Owls Recent Game/Games

Florida Atlantic dropped to 6-6 on the season after an 86-69 road loss to Michigan State on Saturday, December 21st. The Owls went into the game as +13.5 point underdogs and didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 155 fell just short of the 156.5 O/U line.

FAU trailed 42-29 at halftime and struggled to close the gap in the 2nd half, scoring 40 points while allowing 44.

Tigers Offense Breakdown

Memphis put up 87 points in their latest game, shooting 47.5% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc. Their effective field goal percentage was 52.5%, and they connected on 71% of their free throws, going 22-for-31 from the line.

Colby Rogers led the way with 28 points, hitting 6-of-9 from deep and shooting 62.5% overall. Dain Dainja was efficient as well, going 6-for-7 from the field in just 18 minutes, while Moussa Cisse grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with his 13 points.

Owls Offense Breakdown

Florida Atlantic struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 4 of 22 three-point attempts for a dismal 18.2% shooting percentage. Overall, they shot 39.7% from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of 42.6%. The Owls did manage to connect on 50% of their two-point shots, going 23 for 46 inside the arc.

Tre Carroll led the way with 24 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 66.7% from the field and 2 of 3 from three-point range. Coen Carr also contributed 17 points and 8 rebounds, hitting 7 of 9 shots and making his only three-point attempt. Jeremy Fears Jr. added 13 points and 8 assists, while Jaden Akins chipped in 13 points as well.

Tigers Team Defense

Despite Memphis allowing 70 points, they struggled defensively, giving up 47% shooting from the field. The Tigers allowed 29 made baskets on 61 attempts.

Inside the arc, Memphis gave up 22 two-pointers on 42 attempts, a 52% success rate for their opponent. From three-point range, they allowed 7 made threes on 19 attempts, with their opponent shooting 36%.

Owls Team Defense

Memphis gave up 70 points in this one, with their defense allowing the opposition to shoot 47% from the field. The Tigers struggled to contain the two-point attack, where they allowed 22 makes on 42 attempts, a 52% shooting rate.

From beyond the arc, Memphis allowed 7 threes on 19 attempts, with the opposition shooting 36% from deep. They also sent the other team to the line 31 times, where they converted 22 free throws, shooting 71%. The Tigers gave up 12 offensive rebounds in the game.

Tigers vs Owls Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Tigers have a straight up record of 7-3 while going 6-4 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 79 points per game in these contests.
• Through their last three home games, Florida Atlantic has an ATS record of just 1-2. However, their overall record was 1-2 while averaging 72 points per game.
• As the betting underdog, the Owls have an ATS mark of just 1-2 in their last three games. Florida Atlantic posted a straight up mark of 1-2 in these matchups.
• As the betting favorite, the Tigers have an ATS mark of just 6-4 in their last ten games. Memphis posted a straight up mark of 8-2 in these matchups.

Tigers vs Owls Prediction

Coming in as the underdogs at +3.5, we have the Owls as the way to go on the point spread. Not only do we have them covering, but our projections show they have a good one of winning this one straight-up, if you’re looking for a higher payout on the moneyline.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 159.5 and given that our model is projecting 146 points between the teams, we like the under.

---

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

---

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.