The Stanford Cardinal might not be the same team that was getting to the NCAA Tournament consistently last decade, but have had some promising results thus far this season. Stanford has already knocked off one tournament team from last year in Seton Hall and now will get another chance to add a notch to its resume when the Cardinal face the SMU Mustangs. SMU is looking to get to the tournament for just the second time this century and is off to a good start.
Don’t miss the hardwood action from Moody Coliseum at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, December 19, 2016. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN2. We will have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Monday schedule.
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Stanford has been an underdog four times already this season and will likely be a dog for the fifth time against SMU. The Cardinal are 2-2 ATS in the role of the underdog with one outright win. Under has been a good bet in Cardinal games this season with a 6-3 mark.
No one can say that SMU hasn’t played anybody. The Mustangs have filled their schedule with quality games and although they fell short in most of those contests, this team still has some solid wins on its resume. SMU knocked off Pittsburgh and TCU already this season and another victory would be nice. The Mustangs last two games have gone under the total.
Matchup to Watch
These teams play some of the lowest scoring games in the country as both have stifling defenses paired with inept offenses. For Stanford, that’s how the Cardinal have usually been. The Cardinal only have a handful of solid shooters and other than Dorian Pickens, no one can sink threes. However, they are able to be competitive and win games because of a defense that is lights out.
SMU’s defense has twice held opponents to under 45 points this season and looks to be among the top defenses in the country. USC, Michigan, and Boise State were the only teams on its schedule to crack 70 points, and those happened to be the only games that the Mustangs have dropped.
Eye on the Schedule
This time of year, there typically isn’t much action as students and athletes alike go home for Christmas break, but SMU is in a unique spot.
The Mustangs will have the weekend off, but right afterwards get busy in a hurry. The day following their game against Stanford, SMU hosts Albany. In the NBA, such occurrences are common, but it’s rare for a team to play in consecutive nights in a non-tournament setting in the college game. It will be interesting to see whether or not this effects SMU.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Rebounding is going to have a huge impact on this game. Neither team makes the most out of its possessions and relies on a big rebounding advantage to win games. Currently, Stanford is outrebounding its opponents by 8.4 RPG, while SMU is pulling down 14.6 more rebounds on average. Reid Travis is by far the best rebounder for Stanford, but if he is sitting or in foul trouble, SMU can get second chances.
The Mustangs were one of the best teams in the nation last season, but didn’t make the Big Dance because of probation stemming from academic fraud. All that talent is gone, as well as coach Larry Brown who rebuilt this program from nothing, but there are some talented young players.
Make sure to view the odds at BookMaker.eu before placing a wager, but SMU should be a short favorite in this one. Don’t be surprised if Stanford comes out of here with a victory though as the Cardinal are hungry for a win after losing back-to-back games against Saint Mary’s and Kansas.
College Basketball Odds: Stanford 72, SMU 65
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