Free Daily NCAAF Lock Pick, Friday October 27th: Florida Atlantic vs Charlotte 7:30pmET
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A Saturday night showdown between division rivals is taking place in Ohio. The Indiana Pacers (1-0; 1-0-0 ATS) are ready for game two, while the Cleveland Cavaliers (1-0; 0-1-0 ATS before Friday's game) will be on the tail end of a back-to-back. Cleveland went 3-1 against Indiana last year and has taken seven of the past eight meetings. This game is in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, so the Cavs have the home-court advantage. Starting at 7:30 p.m. EDT, let's see which team will finish on top.
*Published before Cleveland's Friday game
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Indiana took home a win on Wednesday to begin their season, beating the Wizards 143-120 at home. New Pacer Bruce Brown led the team with 24 points, while All-Star Tyrese Haliburton had 11 assists to pair with his 20 points. Andrew Nembhard also finished with a double-double thanks to 10 assists off the bench. Myles Turner grabbed a team-high eight boards and blocked three shots.
Last year's squad finished a few games short of the Eastern Conference's final play-in spot, but they're gunning for a better finish to the 2023-24 season. Improving upon a bottom-five defensive rating is step one, something that Wednesday didn't add much hope for. Washington put up 120 points, attempted 29 free throws, and shot 37.5% from three (despite an 0/6 from Jordan Poole). Indiana needs to be better than that, even if a high tempo makes the numbers look worse. There were plenty of positives, such as d efensive rebounding rate, and forcing a miss on 43.1% of shots at the rim. They also limited Washington's shot selection to 25% from deep. The drawback is that the Pacers allowed 53.1% of Washington's shots to come at the rim. Game one showed that Indiana still has work to do defensively.
Now, scoring 143 points in four quarters is always going to be a successful formula. The offense wasn't nearly as explosive last year, but adding Obi Toppin, Bruce Brown, and a pace that will be threatening for the NBA's highest will get Indiana on the board often. Their shooting was excellent on Wednesday, ending with a 52.3% field goal percentage, a 46.5% clip from three, and only missing one free throw. Indiana only turned the ball over on 10.8% of their possessions. Scoring won't be a problem if the Pacers perform like that 81 more times.
Free Daily NCAAF Lock Pick, Friday October 27th: Florida Atlantic vs Charlotte 7:30pmET CLICK TO SEE PICK NOW