Overview
Cincinnati Bearcats are stuck in a free fall, having dropped four consecutive games to fall into seventh place in the American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats’ offense has dried up in their last two games, being held to fewer than 60 points in conference losses to Houston and South Florida. Cincinnati can still play defense at a high level, but the Bearcats haven’t been able to generate any sort of flow on offense.
SMU Mustangs are hoping to hold off Memphis for second place in the AAC. The Mustangs have been difficult to play against at Moody Coliseum, with the Mustangs piling up a 14-0 record this season and have won 16 consecutive games overall dating back to last season. While SMU can’t catch Houston for first place, the Mustangs only hold a half-game lead over Memphis and need to avenge an earlier loss to Cincinnati to keep pace.
Last games records
Cincinnati is 17-13 overall, and 7-10 in American Athletic Conference play. The Bearcats lost their last game 71-53 on the road on March 1. SMU is 20-7 overall and 11-4 in conference play. The Mustangs lost to Houston 75-61 in their last game on Feb. 27 on the road.
Matchup Information:
Cincinnati at SMU Betting Analysis
Cincinnati Betting Analysis
One thing people can never question about Cincinnati is its defensive acumen. The Bearcats rank 29th nationally in field goal defense, limiting their opponents to 29 percent shooting from the field. Cincinnati also limits its opponents to 65.6 points per game, which ranks 75th nationally, and 31.7 percent from the outside, which ranks 86th.
Finding ways to generate scoring has been a struggle all season for Cincinnati. The Bearcats, who average 69.7 points per game, can’t even take advantage of their free opportunities.
Cincinnati shoots 66 percent from the free-throw line, which ranks 339th nationally. The Bearcats also struggled to shoot from the field, making 40.8 percent of their shots, which ranks 324th nationally.
David DeJulius leads Cincinnati by scoring 14.3 points per game. Jeremiah Davenport also contributes 13.4 points per game for the Bearcats. Cincinnati does a good job taking care of the ball, only committing 10.7 per game, which ranks 32nd nationally.
SMU Betting Analysis
Kendric Davis has been outstanding for SMU this season, contributing 19.3 points per game to rank 34th nationally in scoring. Davis is one of four Mustangs to average in double figures scoring. SMU shoots 36.4 percent from the perimeter, which is the 57th best percentage in the country.
The Mustangs had a hard time scoring against Cincinnati in their first meeting, being limited to 60 points. SMU was limited to 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from the perimeter.
The Mustangs have also been successful in making their opponents’ lives difficult when they are on offense. SMU ranks 25th nationally in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 39.9 percent shooting from the field. Opponents also only shoot 30.1 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks 34 nationally.
Team Updates
- SMU is 14-13 against the spread.
- Cincinnati is 9-17-3 against the spread.
- The Mustangs have seen the total go under in 14 of their 27 games.
- The Bearcats have seen the total go under in 16 of their 29 games.
- SMU is 6-6 against the spread as a home favorite.
- Cincinnati is 1-3-1 as a road underdog.
Cincinnati at SMU
Bearcats beat up the Mustangs earlier this season, sprinting out to a 17-point halftime lead. The Bearcats have been playing poorly recently and will need to find a way to right the ship. By playing strong defense, Cincinnati can right the ship against a SMU team that has the defense to play at the Bearcats’ pace.
SMU should look to speed this game up and look to avoid being locked into a slugfest. The Mustangs have the offensive options to run away from Cincinnati. SMU will need to pick up another win to maintain its spot in the standings.
Top sportsbooks have SMU as a 7.5-point favorite. The Mustangs are -360 on the moneyline, while Cincinnati is +275. The over/under was set at 140.
Cincinnati at SMU Prediction
SMU will cover the 7.5-point home spread and improve its record at home to 17-0 on the season.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.