Furman vs. Chattanooga Prediction and Odds for SoCon Championship Game

The SoCon Conference Championship goes down Monday between the two teams that ran the conference the whole season.

Chattanooga and Furman will meet for the third time this season with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line. The Mocs won the first two games against the Paladins and will look to punch their ticket to the Big Dance behind the play of Conference Player of the Year Malachi Smith and big man Silvio De Sousa.

Here are the odds for the conference title game from WynnBET Sportsbook:

Furman vs. Chattanooga Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

• Furman: PK
• Chattanooga: PK

Moneyline:

• Furman: -110
• Chattanooga: -110

Total: 142 (Over -110/Under -110)

Furman vs. Chattanooga Prediction and Pick

Chattanooga won both regular season matchups by a total of eight points, but there's some key points to that. The Mocs won on the road without star big man De Sousa, one of the team's most impressive results of the season.

While the line feels right given the line history of the two this season, I'm going to side with Chattanooga to complete the season sweep and move onto the NCAA Tournament.

This is a matchup of Furman's offense and Chattanooga's defense, both the best in the country, but it's going to be the Mocs ability to win on the glass and generate better looks than the Paladins that will get them the victory.

Chattanooga is top three in offensive and defensive rebounding rate, and can attack a Furman defense that is seventh in the conference in defensive rebounding percentage and 241st in the country in second chance conversion rate allowed.

The margins are super thin with these teams, and Furman can have a lights out day from beyond the arc, they take 54% of their shots from deep and hit them at a 37% clip, but we have seen Chattanooga win both ways already.

In the first game, each team shot just shy of 40% from deep, while the second game (without De Sousa) the teams combined for 7-of-47 from 3. If the Paladins can't go nuclear from beyond the arc, they won't be able to match the efficient offense of Chattanooga, who ranked third in the SoCon this season in adjusted offensive efficiency.

I'm going to side with the better team to simply win and punch their ticket to the dance.

PICK: Chattanooga PK, play to -1.5

All of Reed's college basketball plays can be tracked here, his best bets column for college basketball is 91-82-3 for +4.58 units.