NCAAB Lines Reveal Florida Atlantic Upside Proves Too Much For Liberty
Among the most fun early season matchups, it’s tough to leave a unique date between two of the best mid-major programs in the country off the list when Liberty and Florida Atlantic square off on Nov. 30. This is the inaugural matchup of the Field of 68 Tip-Off, which features three of the best mid-majors in the nation – Liberty, FAU and Charleston.
Thursday marks the first year of a three-year round-robin series between the three programs. It will begin at Florida Atlantic this year, followed by College of Charleston in 2024 and Liberty in 2025. Charleston and Liberty play on Dec. 1 and FAU faces Charleston on Dec. 2.
Florida Atlantic is fresh off a stellar 35-win season in which they proceeded to make a run to the Final Four last year. Liberty has been the epitome of consistency in recent years, posting seven consecutive 20-win seasons. While this matchup should make for one of the most interesting NCAA Basketball picks for today, the same should stand true for this entire series.
Liberty vs Florida Atlantic Game Prediction
Florida Atlantic’s stellar run to the Final Four last year propelled them into a No. 6 ranking to start the 2023-24 college basketball season. While they suffered a surprising upset loss to Bryant 61-52, the Owls remain ranked, entering this matchup at No. 13.
Aside from FAU’s lone loss, both teams have been impressive through the early stages of the season. Liberty has won every game by double-digits, with the closest result coming at a neutral location in a 71-61 win over Vermont.
Florida Atlantic followed up its loss by reeling off three impressive victories in the ESPN Events Invitational, taking down Butler, defeating then-No. 12 Texas A&M by seven and then dominating Virginia Tech by 34.
The edge here I believe will come from Florida Atlantic hosting the first year of this unique series, which fans will certainly be excited for. They’ll have a great home crowd behind them in this matchup, and a victory could further pad an early stretch of wins that certainly looks good on paper.
Predicted Score: Florida Atlantic 83, Liberty 78
Reasonable basketball minds can differ, but Florida Atlantic is a Top 10 team. Those dudes are ballers. https://t.co/FXSba1AWFE
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) November 27, 2023
Worth Targeting the Total?
The over/under is set at 145½ in the Las Vegas odds and it feels slightly low considering the potential both teams have shown to score in bunches and do so quickly. While both teams will likely come out strong defensively, I do think we see the two teams get into a rhythm offensively and wind up running up a decent total number of points.
I’m going to take the over as I believe if both teams find the bottom of the basket early, it’s going to lead to a bit of a shootout in the second half – a consideration when live betting online.
College Basketball Pick: Over 145½ total points
Worth Betting ATS?
The spread on this game is incredibly tough to call. Florida Atlantic has absolutely shown the upside and talent to cover a 7½-point spread, even against a team as talented as Liberty. But this game could be a huge resume builder for the Flames, and they’re going to be all-in to try to pull off the upset. I think we see it stay close, and while Liberty has been good defensively this year, facing this Florida Atlantic team will be by far its toughest test thus far.
I think Liberty keeps it close, and they’ve shown the ability to score enough to keep pace with Florida Atlantic. It won’t be easy, but regardless, this game should be fairly tight throughout, so I’ll take Liberty with the seven points at the BetUS sportsbook.
College Basketball Pick: Liberty Flames +7½ (-110)
Liberty vs Florida Atlantic Betting Lines
Liberty vs Florida Atlantic Game Information
- Game: Liberty (6-0) at Florida Atlantic (5-1)
- Date/Time: Thursday, Nov. 30, 6 p.m. ET
- Location: Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena, Boca Raton, Fla.
- Liberty vs Florida Atlantic Live Stream: NBA Game Pass
Questions of the Day
What's a bet that could offer good value in the Liberty vs Florida Atlantic game?
The over 145½ has the potential to be a solid play if the offensive upside of both teams emerges. Liberty averages 85.8 points per game while Florida Atlantic comes into this matchup averaging 83.
What is the biggest challenge that Liberty will face this season?
This matchup against Florida Atlantic will likely be the biggest test of the year for Liberty.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
