The Samford Bulldogs take on the Furman Paladins in Southern Conference college basketball action on Thursday night. Scheduled for a 5:00 PM ET tip-off at Timmons Arena in Greenville, this contest comes with big implications in the SoCon standings as both teams jockey for position heading into the final month of regular-season play. Furman is the favorite at home, but can they hold off a hungry Samford squad? I try to answer that question here with my Samford vs Furman prediction in college hoops.
Pick: Furman Paladins -6.5
Confidence: 3/5
Furman (14-7, 5-3 SoCon) has established itself as a tough home competitor, going 8-3 at Timmons Arena this season and showing defensive strength. They have been particularly strong on the boards, where they lead the conference in defensive rebounds per game.
Samford (10-11, 3-5 SoCon) enters this contest off a 75-64 win over Chattanooga in which Jadin Booth led the way with 28 points. That win snapped a three-game losing streak for Samford. But the Bulldogs have struggled away from home and are underdogs almost seven points going into this contest.
Furman’s field goal efficiency and rebounding presence should challenge Samford’s offense, which has shot just 44% from the field overall this season. Samford’s defensive numbers indicate that they could have an uphill climb against a more efficient offensive opponent, unless Booth has another huge game for the Bulldogs here.
Furman enters this matchup tied for third place in the SoCon standings with Mercer. The Paladins trail East Tennessee State and Wofford in the conference standings and need to keep winning to keep pressure on those teams. Samford is 3-5 in league play and could fall to ninth in the 10-team conference if they lose this matchup.
Score Projection: Samford 71 – Furman 79
Win Probability: Samford 23%, Furman 77%
This Southern Conference matchup appears to be headed in Furman’s favor due to their strong home-court advantage, recent performances, and favorable head-to-head history against Samford. The Bulldogs have a legitimate threat in Booth, but their road struggles and defensive limitations make it difficult to trust them to cover the spread. I am going to lay the points with the Paladins at home in this SoCon contest.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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