SMU’s title hopes are still very much alive after a comprehensive 21-point win over the Tulane Green Wave on Sunday. The Mustangs will look to tighten their grip at the top of the AAC standings when they lock horns with the Connecticut Huskies who are coming off a deflating defeat to the Houston Cougars.
Who will emerge victorious in this all-important showdown? Read on below for a complete breakdown of this pivotal matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Iowa State vs. Kansas and Oklahoma vs. TCU.
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Connecticut Huskies vs. SMU Mustangs Preview
Where: Moody Coliseum, Dallas
When: Thursday, March 3, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Connecticut Huskies (+5) at SMU Mustangs (-5) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN2
Betting on the Connecticut Huskies (20-9, 10-6 AAC)
Get ready for a frantic finish here in the AAC.
Contributing to the Huskies’ downfall was their atrocious execution on the offensive end. They shot just 44.4 percent from the field with their top scorer Shonn Miller limited to just nine points. The Huskies played sloppy basketball the entire game, committing a total of 13 turnovers, way above their season average of 11.2 errors.
Apart from limiting their turnovers, the Huskies also need to play solid ball down the stretch against SMU. UConn missed seven of its last nine baskets against Houston. That simply won’t do against an SMU defense that is allowing just 63.9 points per contest, 19th in the entire nation.
That being said, the Huskies will still fancy their chances against the Mustangs as they have fared extremely well against them of late. The Huskies have won two of their last three meetings with the Mustangs, including a 68-62 victory on February 18. Amida Brimah was the hero in that contest, recording 16 points, eight points and five blocks in a brilliant 33-minute performance.
The Huskies are 6-4 SU and 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 road games.
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Betting on the SMU Mustangs (24-4, 12-4 AAC)
SMU stretched its unbeaten run to three games with an impressive 74-53 win Sunday over the Tulane Green Wave. The victory kept alive the Mustangs’ chances of winning the American Athletic Conference regular-season title as they moved into a tie with Temple at the top of the team standings. Both squads carry similar 12-4 conference records.
For a while, though, it seemed like an upset was in the cards as Tulane raced to a 29-28 advantage at the halftime break. The Mustangs were ice-cold from the field, shooting just 37.9 percent in the first half. Fortunately for head coach Larry Brown, Ben Moore was there to save the day as his inspired play helped steer SMU to the comeback win.
Moore scored a game-high 16 points to provide the spark the Mustangs desperately needed. He has been a vital cog to the Mustangs’ success this season, averaging 12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Providing support to Moore was the pair of Sterling Brown and Shake Milton. Brown had 15 points and five rebounds while Milton scored 14 points and grabbed two rebounds.
The Mustangs will look to sustain the momentum of that huge win when they take on UConn tonight. For the Mustangs to accomplish that feat, they will need to find a way to limit their miscues. SMU committed a whopping 18 turnovers against Tulane, 12 of which came in the first half. Apart from protecting the basketball, the Mustangs also need to get a much better performance from leading scorer Nic Moore. He struggled mightily against Tulane, scoring just five points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field.
The Mustangs are 9-1 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
SMU (-5) wins, 63-57.
