Furman vs Tulane Odds, Picks & Predictions

Mar 16, 2023; Orlando, FL, USA; Furman Paladins guard Marcus Foster (5) celebrates after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY SportsFurman and Tulane meet on Thursday night in New OrleansTulane is 4-0 at home this season while Furman is just 1-3 in true road gamesSee the Furman vs Tulane odds, picks and predictions for Dec. 14, 2023

Two of the fastest-paced teams in the country meet on Thursday in New Orleans when the Furman Paladins (5-5, 1-3 away, 2-6 ATS) face the Tulane Green Wave (6-2, 4-0 home, 3-5 ATS) at Devlin Fieldhouse at 6:00 pm CT/7:00 pm ET.

Tulane is a perfect 4-0 at home this season and Furman’s only road win came against 301st-rated Coastal Carolina. The spread is heavily tilted toward the home team.

Furman vs Tulane Odds

Tulane is a 7.5-point home favorite in Thursday’s NCAA basketball odds and -340 on the moneyline. The Paladins come back at +270, while the game total is at a massive 171.5, twenty points higher than any of the other NCAAM games on the board on Thursday.

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Odds as of Dec. 14 at ESPN Bet. Claim an ESPN Bet promo code to wager on Furman vs Tulane today. 

The college basketball public betting splits for Furman vs Tulane show the Green Wave getting slightly more ATS handle (56%) and the vast majority of moneyline handle (82%).

Furman Not the Same Group That Upset Virginia

Last season was a banner year for the Paladins. Not only did they earn a share of the Southern Conference regular-season title (15-3) and capture the conference tournament title, they went onto upset #4 Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (67-66) before bowing out to eventual runner-up San Diego State.

But the two leading scorers from that team, Mike Bothwell (17.7 PPG) and Jalen Slawson (15.6 PPG), are both gone. On the bright side, the rest of their top-nine producers returned. Senior two-guard Marcus Foster has upped his average from  11.6 PPG to 19.8 PPG, while junior point guard JP Pegues has improved from 11.9 PPG to 16.9 PPG, and 3.9 APG to 6.2 APG.

The on-court results have been underwhelming, going just 5-5 to date with two of their wins coming at home against non-DI competition. They have faced three teams ranked in KenPom’s top-100 and lost all three. Their best win came over #145 Belmont (99-76 home) while, ironically, their second-best game of the season was a loss: 70-69 at #51 Princeton as seven-point road underdogs.

Belmont and Princeton are the only games the Paladins (2-6 ATS) have covered this season. Playing at the 17th-fastest tempo in the nation, and sporting a defense that ranks just 232nd in efficiency, Furman is 6-2 over/under this season.

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Tulane Perfect at Home, But Against Weak Competition

The run-and-gun Green Wave, who play at the fifth-fastest tempo among all 362 DI teams, have scored at least 76 points in all eight games this season and are averaging an absurd 92.3 PPG in their four home games to date.

Like Furman, Tulane also lost its leading scorer from last year, Jalen Cook (19.9 PPG, 4.9 AGP), who transferred to LSU.  The rest of their top-four returned and coach Ron Hunter added St John’s transfer Kolby King, who is providing immediate returns, sitting second on the team at 15.1 PPG on 54.2% shooting from the field.

Tulane’s best win of the season came on a neutral court against #167 Cal (84-81), when leading scorer Kevin King had a team-high 24 points and eight rebounds. Their losses came to #104 Bradley (80-77 neutral) and #36 Mississippi State (106-76 neutral). The Green Wave currently rate 105th at KenPom (21 sports ahead of #136 Furman) but just 140th at Haslametrics (two spots lower than #138 Furman).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG5GDuw6SXI

Perhaps the scariest part of Tulane’s offense, which sits 61st in the country in efficiency, is that there is room to improve. Senior guard Jaylen Forbes, who averaged 18.5 PPG last year and shot 38.8% from three, is scoring just 10.9 PPG this year with an ugly 24.4 3P%.

Furman vs Tulane Prediction

Furman’s play this season has been less than a sum of its parts. They should still be the class of the Southern Conference and certainly have the talent to hang with a team like Tulane.

The blazing-fast pace at which this game is going to be played means more chances for Tulane to cover, but I still expect Furman to keep it close, as they did at Princeton a couple weeks ago.

While I’m not betting it, I also think there’s value on the Furman moneyline at +270. In six full seasons with Furman, coach Bob Richey has won at least 22 games five times.

Furman vs Tulane pick: Furman +7.5 (-110)

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NCAAM betting record:

ATS: 11-9 (+1.01 units)Player props: 1-0 (+0.87 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise.