The No. 23 SMU Mustangs’ wait to avenge their lone conference loss thus far this season is about to end this coming Thursday when the Cincinnati Bearcats hit town for their second meeting of the season. Both the Bearcats and the Mustangs have their eyes on a spot in the National Tournament and a win on Thursday will only strengthen their chances for a higher seed.
Also on the same day as this game, the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs look to avoid getting upset by the Santa Clara Broncos. Click here for a full preview of that game.
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Cincinnati Bearcats vs. SMU Mustangs Betting Preview
The Bearcats took yet another hit in AAC play, as they were dealt a 50-46 loss by the East Carolina Pirates on Sunday. The loss was Cincinnati’s third conference loss and brings the team’s record to 15-6 overall.
Despite their drop in form in conference play, the Bearcats can’t be taken lightly by SMU. After all, Cincinnati beat the Mustangs on January 3, 56-50. Furthermore, Mike Cronin’s team already has four wins against Top 50 RPI teams, including the aforementioned SMU game and another against then No. 19 San Diego State (71-62) back in December.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]In their first meeting with the Mustangs, Cincinnati played solid defense, limiting SMU way below their season average of 70.1 PPG. The Bearcats also got a big lift from reserve Farad Cobb, who came off the bench and gave the team a huge lift by firing 18 points, including four three-pointers. Cobb’s outburst was timely as leading scorer Troy Caupain (10.1 PPG and 3.6 APG), only produced seven points. Octavius Ellis, meanwhile, added 12 points on an efficient 6-for-7 shooting.
Cincinnati’s offense has been shaky all season long. With the exits of Sean Kilpatrick and Justin Jackson prior to the season, Cronin’s team was left to cover up for their lack in scoring with a ferocious defense that currently ranks fifth in the nation with only 54.4 points allowed per game. It will have to show up anew against SMU, which put up 72.7 PPG over its last three outings.
The under is 3-0 in Cincinnati’s last three road games.
Last year, the Mustangs were among the top snubs in the National Tournament. So far this season, Larry Brown’s team is doing a good job of staying away from that predicament.
In their most recent outing, the Mustangs defeated the UCF Knights, 75-56, to extend their win streak to eight games. They also had an eight-game win streak earlier this season, but that was snapped by Cincinnati on January 3.
Against the Knights, SMU unleashed its vaunted offense as the team went 29-for-49 from the field for an impressive 59.2 FG%. Ryan Manuel went off for a season-high 20 points, while Markus Kennedy added 13 points, coming off the bench. Manuel’s great shooting night was good news for the Mustangs, but the same can’t be said about the team’s leading scorer in Nic Moore. The junior guard, who is averaging 14.5 PPG this season, put up just eight points against UCF, his second straight single-digit scoring game after finishing with seven points in the Mustangs’ 63-52 win over the South Florida Bulls on January 28.
If Moore’s scoring funk continues against Cincinnati, players like Yanick Moreira and Kennedy’s will be hard pressed to step up again.Over the last two games, Moreira (11.9 PPG) and Kennedy (11.5 PPG) covered up well for Moore, as they averaged 12 PPG and 17.5 PPG, respectively, during that span.
