The Cincinnati Bearcats may be the best team in the country no one is talking about, but a loss last time out has them in need of a bounceback. A long win streak pushed Cincy into the top-5 nationally before Houston got the best of them recently. Even so, the Bearcats are quietly stacking up as a national championship contender.
They can help bolster their case for a No. 1 seed in March Madness with a win over the nationally ranked Wichita State Shockers next time out. This game features the two best teams in the A-10, and the Bearcats can take a big step toward wrapping up the conference title with a win.
Cincinnati is both the better team and gets the home court advantage, so it will be the favorite, but Wichita State has a lot of talent. Don’t be surprised if the Shockers hang around the entire time and make a push for the upset.
At 4 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Sunday, February 18, 2018, at Fifth Third Arena.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Sunday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Wichita State is 20-5 straight up and 12-11 against the spread on the season. The Shockers have covered in half of their eight road games on the season. Wichita State has been favored in every game it has played this season but that will change in this road matchup against a conference power.
Cincinnati is 23-3 straight up and 15-10 against the spread. The Bearcats have covered in eight of their 12 games at home on the season. Cincinnati is 15-9 against the spread as the favorite.
Key Stat
16. That’s how many games in a row Cincinnati had won before a loss on the road to the Cougars last time out. The Bearcats’ only two losses of the season prior to Houston came in back-to-back fashion back in early December, but they were dominating in conference play prior to Thursay’s downer.
The only other teams to beat Cincinnati this season are No. 21 Xavier and No. 5 Florida. They will look to capture their first victory over a Top 25 team this season as they take on Wichita State this weekend.
What’s impressive about the Bearcats’ recent winning streak was the way they wee defeating opponents. They defeated SMU by 25 points on February 11th and beat UCF by 37 on February 6th.
Cincinnati has defeated 16 of 23 opponents by 15 points or more this season. Despite the lack of upper tier wins, the Bearcats have dominated so much that they should be considered a possible contender in March.
Player To Watch
Landry Shamet – When Wichita State’s leading scorer gets going, the Shockers are tough to stop. There’s no question that team will be looking for a big performances from the sophomore in this one.
Shamet is averaging 14.8 points and 5.2 assists per game this season. Because Wichita State runs such a balanced offense on the floor, averaging 19.2 assists per game, the team can get by even when Shamet has an off-night.
But for the Shockers to pull off an upset against Cincinnati on Sunday, they’ll need their best shooter at his best, especially from the outside. Shamet is a 45.6 percent three-point shooter and he’s been hot from behind-the-arc lately, combining for eight threes in the last two games.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
Wichita State is a very good team and there is some doubt about Cincinnati because it hasn’t played a lot of elite foes. This one qualifies, and the home court advantage is big. Take the Bearcats to win this game, but if the spread is too large the Shockers are a good call against the spread.
Cincinnati has an elite defense and will try to force Wichita State into some tough shots. Even though both teams can score the ball, they each do well on the defensive side of the court, so expect a lower-scoring game than normal.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Cincinnati 71, Wichita State 66
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