The Samford Bulldogs take on the Furman Paladins in Greenville, South Carolina. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Furman is favored by 7.5 points on the spread with a price of 77 cents to win and the total set at 148.5 points on Fanatics Markets.
Here’s my Samford vs. Furman prediction and college basketball picks for January 29, 2026.
Samford vs Furman Prediction
My Pick: Over 148.5 (Play to 150)
My Samford vs Furman best bet is on the over. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Samford vs. Furman Odds
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Samford vs Furman College Basketball Betting Preview
Samford Basketball
Samford has been one of the more inconsistent teams in all of college basketball, as the Bulldogs sit at 10-11 overall and 3-5 in SoCon play.
We've seen a much more competitive team in league play, as all five Samford losses have been by 10 points or less. It's evident this team is starting to grasp the style implemented by Lennie Acuff after coming over from Lipscomb for the departed Bucky McMillan.
The Bulldogs are led in scoring by Jadin Booth, who averages 20.6 points per game, along with Dylan Faulkner, who chips in 17. Keaton Norris has handled the point duties well, with a 3.5/1 assist to turnover ratio. In fact, Samford ranks third nationally in turnovers.
The Bulldogs have protected the ball well since entering league play, and the Bulldogs get to the line as frequently as anyone in the SoCon.
The defense has really been the Achilles' heel for the Bulldogs, who rank 307th nationally in defensive effectiveness. You could argue that some positive regression is coming, as Samford has seen its opponents bury nearly 40% of all 3-point shots against it.
There's some solid interior defense, and Samford does well to defend well without fouling. If the Bulldogs can defend the 3-point shot against Furman, this could be a game in the late stages.
Furman Basketball
Furman played a fairly challenging non-conference schedule before winning 10 of its last 13.
Bob Richey has this team competing hard nightly, but the results have been mixed. Furman had an exquisite road win at Chattanooga and also defeated Samford away from home, but an inexcusable loss against The Citadel validates that this group has a long way to go to be taken seriously as a threat to win the SoCon.
Alex Wilkins (18 PPG) leads four Paladins who average double figures in scoring. The Dins shoot a ton of 3s, but they haven’t been knocking them down at a high rate, outside of Asa Thomas, who's hitting 41%.
Furman allows its bigs to shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor, which could essentially create matchup problems. But it has to start hitting the deep shot to make this offense more lethal.
Defensively, Furman has done a decent job of being in good defending position, as the Paladins don't send their opponents to the line often (18th nationally, in fact).
The interior defense has been serviceable, as has defending the outside shot.
There's not a lot of “wow-factor" for Furman, but these guys communicate well together and can put the clamps on opponents if they're sloppy in their half-court execution.
Samford vs. Furman Betting Analysis
This line opened Furman -7.5 with a total painted at 148.5. I like the over in this game.
The first matchup between these two teams was played at 70 possessions and ended in a 77-73 Furman win. We saw horrific shooting in that game, as the two teams combined to shoot 13-of-51 from 3-point range.
Furman should shoot the ball a lot better at home, and it was encouraging that the Paladins were 14-of-27 from deep in its most recent contest against UNC Greensboro.
Samford is getting to the line a ton since entering SoCon play (tops in the conference). The Bulldogs were very effective in the paint in the first meeting, and I would expect long stretches with both Faulkner and Will Shaver on the floor.
The additional size will create some advantages offensively for Samford in the paint.
Furman should be able to shred this Samford defense on the interior. Wilkins will create off the drive and shooters will have open looks for the Paladins, who aren't afraid to heave from deep. Four different Paladin players have 100 or more 3-point attempts on the season, and we should see open looks in this one.
They still have to go in, but we should see efficient offensive play.
I feel like both offenses have the advantage. Samford will create in the paint and get to the line, and Furman will have several open looks from deep.
If we get decent shooting, this should go over.
My Pick: Over 148.5 (Play to 150)
