The Furman Paladins will try to break the program's long NCAA Tournament drought when they square off against the Chattanooga Mocs in the championship game of the Southern Conference tournament on Monday at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. The winner of the SoCon final will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Paladins (22-11), who are seeded No. 2 in the SoCon tournament, haven't reached the NCAA Tournament since 1980 and have qualified for the Tournament just six times. Meanwhile, top-seeded Mocs (26-7) are looking to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Mocs are favored by 2.5 points in the latest Chattanooga vs. Furman odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over/Under for total points scored is 137. Before making any Furman vs. Chattanooga picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on UTC vs. Furman, and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for Furman vs. UTC:
- Chattanooga vs. Furman spread: Mocs -2.5
- Chattanooga vs. Furman over-under: 137 points
- Chattanooga vs. Furman money line: Mocs -145, Paladins +125
- CHAT: Malachi Smith leads the SoCon in scoring (20.4 points per game).
- FUR: Furman ranks second in the nation in 3-point field goals per game (11.9).
Why Chattanooga can cover
Smith had two of his best games of the season against Furman. Smith, who was named the SoCon Player of the Year last week, had 21 points (on 7-of-14 shooting) and nine rebounds in the 71-69 victory against the Paladins on Jan. 15. Then on Feb. 12, he had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while making 9-of-14 shots in a 64-58 victory.
In addition, Chattanooga is the best team in the conference at defending the 3-pointer. The Mocs allow opponents to shoot just 30.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, which leads the SoCon. That bodes well against a Furman team that has taken 1,022 3-pointers this season, the second most in the country.
Why Furman can cover
Furman has the SoCon's best defensive player in Jalen Slawson. The 6-foot-7 senior from Summerville, S.C., leads the conference in steals per game (1.76) and ranks in the top 10 in rebounding (7.5), field-goal percentage (49.0), assists per game (3.8), free-throw percentage (79.5) and blocks per game (1.67). Last week he was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year.
In addition, the Paladins are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. Furman ranks second in the nation in 3-point field goals per game (11.9). They also rank 11th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (38.4).
How to make Chattanooga vs. Furman picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 149 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins UTC vs. Furman? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
