A key college battle sees the visiting Furman Paladins travelling to Appalachian State Saturday to take on the Mountaineers.

It's a game in the Southern Tournament, which will decide the conference title, not to mention deciding which teams make the Field of 68. The game is being played at US Cellular Center, which makes it technically a neutral site match.

The Paladins will look to vanquish their hosts on Saturday, as they are 9-16 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Mountaineers are 15-9 ATS. Furman is 10-13 against the total, while Appalachian State is 8-14 versus the number.



View Furman vs Appalachian State Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game puts the Mountaineers, most recently No. 222 in the Odds Shark power rankings, up against the Paladins, who rate No. 343 in the latest survey. Meanwhile, math and computer-based handicapping simulations run on this game predict a potential 68-59 victory for the Mountaineers.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Appalachian State's No. 81-ranked offense, averaging 71.6 PPG, against a Paladins defense that ranks No. 261 at 70.2 PPG. The Mountaineers field goal percentage has averaged 43.1% so far, more than the Paladins marksmen have achieved on the year, 40.6% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Furman owns the country's No. 171-rated mark, allowing 69.5 points per game on the highway. Appalachian State, on the other hand, rates No. 95 in scoring at home.

Furman won its last outing, a 55-51 result against Samford on March 8. They covered in that game as a 7-point underdog. Furman earned a 55-51 victory over Samford on Friday, getting 17 points from Bobby Austin at US Cellular Center.

Last time out for Appalachian State, they were an 86-60 Sportsbook as they battled Chattanooga at home. They covered in the match as a 3.5-point favorite. The battle between the Mountaineers and Moccasins didn’t turn out to be much of a battle at all as Chattanooga was handed an 86-60 defeat on Saturday at Holmes Convocation Center.


Furman Paladins Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
After playing Samford are 4-5
After a win are 0-10

Appalachian State Mountaineers Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
After playing Chattanooga are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

A few Paladins at Mountaineers trends to consider:
Appalachian State is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Furman
Appalachian State is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Appalachian State's last 12 games
Appalachian State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Furman