Both teams avenged their only recent losses in the semifinals, and now the UAB Blazers and Florida Atlantic Owls face off in the Conference USA Tournament Championship final Saturday on CBS Sports Network. Both teams jumped out to big early leads Friday but had some tense moments late. Top-seeded FAU (30-3) saw a 16-point lead dwindle but held off Middle Tennessee State to take a 68-65 victory in the early semifinal. No. 3 seed UAB (25-8) came out blazing, starting the game on a 22-2, run before closing out a 76-69 victory against North Texas.      

Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET. The Blazers are favored by 2 points in the latest Florida Atlantic vs. UAB odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over/Under for total points scored is 148. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page.)

Before making any UAB vs. Florida Atlantic picks or Conference USA Tournament predictions, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model entered conference tournament week 76-51 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed the model has seen huge returns.

The model knows that FAU can score with any team in the conference and also is one of its best on defense. The Owls score 14 more points than they give up, the best margin in the lead. They are second in C-USA in scoring (79 points per game) and third in defense (65). They also lead the conference in shooting percentage (47.2). Johnell Davis (13.2 points) and Alijah Martin (12.4) are among five FAU players who average at least nine points.   

But the model also has taken into account that the Blazers lead the conference in scoring and blew out the Owls in the most recent meetings. They also beat them by double digits in both matchups last year. Jordan "Jelly" Walker scored 13 points and had six assists in his return from injury and Eric Gaines scored 21 in an home 86-77 victory against FAU in February. Walker had 32 points Friday and ranks third in the nation in scoring (23.3 ppg).    

Now, the model has set its sights on the FAU vs. UAB C-USA Championship. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread cashes in almost 70% of simulations. You ABSOLUTELY need to see the model before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins UAB vs. Florida Atlantic on Saturday? And which side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Florida Atlantic vs. UAB spread you should be all over Saturday, all from the model that is up almost $1,200 on college basketball picks!