Following their Valentine’s Day blowout of defending champion Connecticut, the SMU Mustangs are sitting pretty atop the AAC. They face one of their biggest tests in the conference Thursday night as they welcome third-place Temple to Moody Coliseum.
Will the Mustangs reign supreme again? Or will the Owls give them a run for their money? Read on as we give you everything you need to know heading into this matchup.
When it comes to the best teams in their respective conferences, no one tops No. 1 Kentucky. The Wildcats have set a program record for its best start to a season, a perfect 26-0. Will Kentucky remain unbeaten? Find out in our complete preview of the Auburn vs. Kentucky game.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Temple Owls vs. SMU Mustangs Preview
Where: Moody Coliseum, Dallas
When: Thursday, February 19, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Temple Owls at SMU Mustangs – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Temple Owls
The Temple Owls are seemingly unstoppable when Will Cummings turns it on. The senior guard has averaged 15.6 points to lead the Owls in a seven-game win streak (6-0-1 against the spread).
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Cummings wasn’t spectacular in Temple’s first outing against SMU. He went 0-for-3 and scored just one point as he went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe. But that version of Cummings was significantly hampered by a strained hamstring. Since returning from a one-game absence, the senior’s been all over the court averaging four rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
The Owls may also expect some help from Jesse Morgan. He had 15 points, but went 5-for-13 from the field and 3-for-10 from three-point range in the first outing against SMU. As a whole, the Owls shot 41 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range.
Temple may be better served to take shots from two-point range at SMU. The Mustangs have allowed 44 percent of opponents’ points to come from two-pointers at home, compared to 38 percent on the road.
Driving to the basket may also suit Temple’s excellent stable of guards. Doing so may force SMU into some risky defensive plays. The Mustangs have committed fouls on 22.5 percent of their defensive plays this season. Guards Cummings, Morgan and Quenton DeCosey are the team’s three leading scorers, each averaging at least 12 points per game this season.
The total has gone under in the past three games between Temple and SMU.
Betting on the SMU Mustangs
The SMU Mustangs have a couple of big, scary men capable of dominating their opponents. Markus Kennedy and Yanick Moreira each scored 13 points as SMU routed defending champion Connecticut 73-55 on Saturday night. It was their ninth win in their last 10 games, going 6-3-1 against the spread along the way.
Kennedy was also the centerpiece in SMU’s 60-55 win over Temple on January 14. He scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Moreira has been a monster on the boards with 9.8 rebounds per game over his last six. He has three double-doubles over that span. Together, Kennedy and Moreira should be able to outrebound Temple again. The Mustangs held a +10 rebound margin in the first meeting.
While Kennedy and Moreira fluster Temple inside, Nic Moore may lend his outside shot for some timely threes. Moore has been solid from downtown in his last three games. He’s drained 7-of-13 three-pointers and has gone 15-of-28 overall. Moore went 2-for-5 from three-point range in the first game against SMU.
The total has gone over in three of the Mustangs’ last four games.
Writer’s Prediction
Another big day for Kennedy and Moreira lift the Mustangs to a win and cover.
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