The San Francisco Dons and North Texas Mean Green split the first two games in their best-of-three series for the 2018 College Basketball Invitational championship. They meet one more time Friday in a winner-take-all game for the title (7 p.m. ET). The home-standing Mean Green are 4.5-point favorites, with the over-under for total points scored set at 140.5.
Before you pick this matchup, you need to see what SportsLine's advanced computer has to say. This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, comes in on a blistering 16-8 run on its postseason college hoops picks.
Now, it has crunched the numbers and generated a point-spread pick you can bank on in almost 75 percent of simulations. It's a coveted A-rated pick you need to see.
The model knows both clubs posted home victories in the first two games of this series. San Francisco used a hot-shooting first half to spark a 72-62 win in the opening game. North Texas responded with a gritty defensive effort in its 69-55 victory in Game 2.
San Francisco made 14 3-pointers in the opener and won the rebounding battle 46-44, but both teams finished under 40 percent in field-goal shooting. All five starting Dons hit double-figures.
The shooting woes continued in Game 2, but North Texas prevailed behind an aggressive defense that forced 16 turnovers and the Mean Green only committed three of their own. This time, they had the rebounding edge 43-31, with 16 on the offensive end.
Will the Mean Green continue their tenacious defense to win the title on their home floor and cover, or will Dons rediscover their shooting touch and bring the banner back to San Francisco? Visit SportsLine now to see the top-rated spread pick that hits almost three-quarters of the time, all from the advanced computer model on a 16-8 run.
