The No. 24 Florida Atlantic Owls (18-1, 8-0 CUSA) head to face the UTEP Miners (11-8, 4-4 CUSA) Saturday in a Conference USA matchup that pits one of the league’s most potent offenses against one of its best defenses.
Florida Atlantic dominated the UTSA Roadrunners 83-64 at UTSA Convocation Center on Thursday, their 17th straight win. Johnell Davis was the scoring leader with 14 points. Nick Boyd was another key contributor with 10 points.
The Owls remain first in Conference USA.UTEP won in dominating fashion on Thursday at Don Haskins Center, beating the FIU Panthers 81-61. Otis Frazier III had 15 points, leading the team. The Miners slipped to sixth in Conference USA. The teams are meeting for the only time this season.
UTEP triumphed in the only game between the teams last season 70-68 at Don Haskins Center in January 2022. Souley Boum led the Miners with 28 points. Vladislav Goldin had 19 points in defeat. Davis (11.0 ppg), Alijah Martin (10.8), and Goldin (10.1) have led the Owls in scoring this season.
Goldin also has grabbed 6.2 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Bryan Greenlee is dishing 2.4 assists per game. Tae Hardy (12.9 ppg) has been the primary provider for the Miners on offense. Calvin Solomon is posting 5.9 rebounds per game, and Shamar Givance is recording 4.9 assists.
The Miners are leaders in defensive efficiency in CUSA, while the Owls rank second in offensive efficiency. In the last 10 games, Florida Atlantic is 10-0 with an average margin of +11.5 (75.4-63.9). UTEP has split the last 10 (5-5), scoring 67.1 points per game on average while allowing 63.4 (+3.7 margin).
OWLS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jalen Gaffney: 7.4 | 10.6 | -3.2
Points per game:
Johnell Davis: 14.2 | 11.0 | +3.2
MINERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Ze’Rik Onyema: 6.6 | 10.2 | -3.6
Rebounds per game:
Ze’Rik Onyema: 2.8 | 4.3 | -1.5
Assists per game:
Shamar Givance: 6.4 | 4.9 | +1.5
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
FAU (-225)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
