With the win over UCF on Friday, the SMU Mustangs have now won 15 straight games, their last loss coming in January against the same Cincinnati Bearcats they’ll compete against in the American Athletic Conference Tournament Finals on Sunday. It’s truly not that often that the two teams that are the best in any given tournament end up going head-to-head in the finals, but that’s just what we have here in the AAC Tournament.
At 3:15 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game as part of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Sunday, March 12, 2017, at the XL Center in Harford, CT.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Sunday schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
The Mustangs’ 15 straight wins gets even more impressive when you consider they’re 25-1 in their last 26 games, marred only by that single loss to the Bearcats.
In those 26 games, SMU is 18-3-1 ATS given not all of those contests had a published spread.
With Cincinnati overtaking UConn on Friday, they notched their fourth straight win SU and ATS, a feat far less impressive than SMU’s run.
This game should be SMU’s to lose, putting the odds firmly in their favor, but Cincinnati is the only team to beat the Mustangs in 2017 bringing us to the analysis of these two teams head-to-head.
Last Meeting
While the Bearcats beat Southern Methodist 66-64 back in January, they lost the February rematch 60-51, leaving Sunday’s game up in the air as each team has beaten the other at home.
Playing on January 12 and then against on February 12, it’s almost creepy that the AAC Finals comes down to these teams playing for all the marbles here on March 12.
In the most recent outing, SMU only used six players in their win, with four of them giving the Mustangs at least 11-points, led by Semi Ojeleye. In winning, SMU’s defense held Cincy to a 34.7-percent mark from the floor and while the Bearcats nabbed an extra three-pointer, the Mustangs were more efficient beyond the arc, sinking almost half of their deep shots.
That’s an adjustment from the January loss where SMU struggled to defend the three. The Bearcats tore up the SMU defense in the first half and by the time the Mustangs got things under control it was too late.
Player to Watch
Keep an eye on Kyle Washington. Troy Caupain and Jacob Evans are important pieces for Cincy on the outside with Caupain controlling the game from the point guard position and Evans serving as a consistent three-point threat.
Washington, on the other hand, is the team’s biggest threat inside the paint. Unlike a lot of big men, Washington is versatile. He’s the team’s leading scorer and can pull attention inside to open up shots for the rest of the team. Washington is a very good shooter, sinking 54-percent of his shots and can even deliver the occasion basket from beyond the arc.
Defensively, SMU lacks size inside. Washington will need to take advantage of that on the defensive end of the court. While Washington is a major asset on offense, his defense can be costly. Cincy plays a zone defense and the guards and needs the presence inside to match up with Ben Moore and Semi Ojeleye. Moore didn’t do much in the last matchup between these conference rivals, but had a good first games. Ojeleye, meanwhile, has been an offensive force in both.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
We’ve seen each team grab a win against the other this year and the two split their head-to-heads last year as well.
Cincinnati offers the toughest competition for Cincy of any team in the conference, but they still come up short matched up with the hottest team in college basketball. After a 4-3 start, they’ve won 25 of their last 26 games.
SMU combines strong defense with a solid offensive efficiency rating, ranked No. 11 in the nation.
The major drawback for this team is the lack of depth. They’ve got the health but with three games in three days, fatigue has to start playing a role. With that, look for a slower pace of play, but SMU still wins the day. And with the points spread likely to be very narrow, the Mustangs should cover as well. After all, they’ve covered in eight of their last 10.
College Basketball Odds: SMU 62, Cincinnati 57
BookMaker.eu offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu!
