Furman vs. Samford Prediction, Odds and Key Players for SoCon Tournament Semifinals

Furman and Samford meet in the SoCon Tournament semifinals on Sunday afternoon.

Following a heated season series split, Samford enters as the small favorite in hopes of making the conference title game. The No. 1 seed in the SoCon Tournament will face the No. 5 seed Furman, who survived an overtime thriller against Western Carolina on Saturday night.

Can Samford make good on its favorite status and knock off the 2023 champs Furman? Here's our best bet:

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Furman vs. Samford Odds, Spread and Total

Samford vs. Furman Betting Trends

• Furman is 11-17-1 against the spread (ATS) this season
• Samford is 17-13 ATS this season
• Furman is 2-6-1 ATS as an underdog

Furman vs. Samford How to Watch

• Date: Sunday, March 10th
• Game Time: 4:00 PM EST
• Venue: Cherokee Center
• How to Watch (TV): ESPNU
• Furman Record: 17-15
• Samford Record: 27-5

Furman vs. Samford Key Players to Watch

Furman

JP Pegues: The Paladins guard was huge in the team's overtime win against Western Carolina, scoring 28 points while draining six three's in the overtime affair. Can Pegues follow it up on a quick turnaround? He scored 33 points in a losing effort against the Bulldogs on February 21st.

Samford

Achor Achor: After hardly playing in the win against Furman, and missing two games, Achor has returned to form in the last two games, both double digit victories. In an expected tight game, can the big man push the Bulldogs over the top? He is incredibly efficient around the rim on both offense and defense, drawing the most fouls in the SoCon while shooting 64%.

Furman vs. Samford Prediction and Pick

The two teams split the pair of regular season matchups, but I don't see these two as close to equal on a neutral floor.

Furman has typically been a tough out for Buck McMillan's aggressive trapping scheme that forces turnovers at a top 20 clip in the nation, Furman is the second best in the conference in turns of turnover percentage, but this is not the same team that won the SoCon last season. The Paladins are lacking the three-point shot making to out-pace a dominant offense like Samford.

The Paladins are bottom half of the league in terms in effective field goal percentage and don't generate second chances at a high clip. Meanwhile, Samford's ability to get shots inside and get to the free throw line are the focus of the best offense in the SoCon. The Bulldogs are tops in eFG% and free throw rate.

On top of the on-court handicap, the situational cap sets up nicely for the Bulldogs, who disposed of Mercer by double digits before Furman took the court, battling to an overtime victory against Western Carolina.

Furman has given Samford trouble in recent meetings, but these two aren't close to comparable, I'm comfortable laying it with the favorite.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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