Halftime Report
N. Alabama is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 47-39 lead against North Florida.
If N. Alabama keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 12-7 in no time. On the other hand, North Florida will have to make due with a 9-10 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who's Playing
N. Alabama Lions @ North Florida Ospreys
Current Records: N. Alabama 11-7, North Florida 9-9
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 2 p.m. ET
- Where: UNF Arena -- Jacksonville, Florida
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $28.35
What to Know
North Florida will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They and the N. Alabama Lions will face off in an Atlantic Sun battle at 2:00 p.m. ET at UNF Arena. The Ospreys are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 84.3 points per game this season.
Last Thursday, North Florida was able to grind out a solid victory over Cent. Arkansas, taking the game 92-80. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Ospreys.
North Florida was working as a unit and finished the game with 23 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cent. Arkansas only posted 15.
Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored N. Alabama last Thursday, but the final result did not. They fell to Jacksonville 64-60.
The win got North Florida back to even at 9-9. As for N. Alabama, their loss dropped their record down to 11-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Florida has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 36.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like N. Alabama struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.9. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
While only North Florida took care of their fans the last time they played, neither team managed to cover. Looking forward, N. Alabama is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 1.5 points. Bettors picking North Florida against the spread have some confidence (to put it mildly), as the team is sitting on a six-game streak of failing to cover when playing as the underdog.
Odds
N. Alabama is a slight 1.5-point favorite against North Florida, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Lions as a 2-point favorite.
The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 163.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
North Florida has won 6 out of their last 10 games against N. Alabama.
- Feb 08, 2024 - N. Alabama 79 vs. North Florida 74
- Jan 28, 2023 - N. Alabama 91 vs. North Florida 78
- Feb 05, 2022 - North Florida 71 vs. N. Alabama 58
- Mar 04, 2021 - N. Alabama 68 vs. North Florida 60
- Jan 30, 2021 - North Florida 82 vs. N. Alabama 72
- Jan 29, 2021 - N. Alabama 82 vs. North Florida 78
- Feb 15, 2020 - North Florida 80 vs. N. Alabama 67
- Jan 04, 2020 - North Florida 82 vs. N. Alabama 65
- Mar 04, 2019 - North Florida 76 vs. N. Alabama 66
- Feb 09, 2019 - North Florida 82 vs. N. Alabama 73