The Temple Owls have caught fire, and their recent five-game winning streak has pushed them back into the conversation for the NCAA Tournament. There is still a long way to go but the Owls get a tremendous shot at really impressing the selection committee next time out when they hit the road to face off with a nationally ranked Wichita State Owls squad.
Temple has been a nice story of late but Wichita State is the more talented team and will be the heavy favorite to win this matchup at home. The Shockers are already going to comfortably qualify for March Madness but want to improve their seed and this would be a solid victory.
Wichita State may have lost the first matchup between these teams but it would be a big upset if Temple can pull the trick once again.
At 7 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Thursday, February 15, 2018, at the Charles Koch Arena.
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Odds Analysis
Temple is 15-10 straight up and 13-12 against the spread. The Owls have covered in five of nine attempts on the road this season. Temple is 6-4 against the spread as the underdog this season.
Wichita State is 19-5 straight up and 11-11 against the spread. The Shockers have covered in six of their 11 attempts at home on the year. Wichita State has been favored in every game is has played this season and that will remain the case in this showdown.
Last Meeting
Temple, a program that’s established a reputation for upsetting some of the nation’s top-ranked teams, pulled off another big win against Wichita State the first time these two teams met on February 1st. The Owls captured the win in exciting fashion, escaping with an 81-79 victory in overtime against the No. 16 Shockers.
With the game tied at 79 apiece, Temple senior forward Obi Enechionyia was fouled with 19 seconds to go and sunk both shots. Wichita State got the ball back in time for one last shot, but Markis McDuffie’s three-point attempt was off the mark.
Sophomore guard Quinton Rose finished with 19 points for the Owls in the win and Shaquille Morris had 15. Wichita State was led by senior guard Josh Brown who had 24 points and nine rebounds while sophomore Austin Reaves added 20 points off the bench.
Wichita State, which has slipped a few spots in the rankings since that loss to Temple, has won two straight since the loss.
Key Stat
41.9. That’s how many rebounds a game this Wichita State team is averaging this year. Senior forward Rashard Kelly is averaging a team-high 7.8 rebounds a game while fellow senior Darral Willis Jr. averages 6.2 rebounds per game.
The Shockers were the better team off the boards in the first meeting against Temple, finishing with 47 total rebounds compared to 37 from the Owls. Wichita State turned the ball over 16 times in that first matchup, however, which contributed to the loss.
Wichita State’s starting lineup is all 6-foot-4 or taller, and the team’s size is part of what makes this unit so imposing. The Shockers finished with 40 rebounds in their rout of Connecticut on Saturday and had 39 rebounds in a win over Memphis last week.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
Wichita State may have lost the first time around but that’s not going to happen again. Look for the Shockers to dominate on the board once again but shoot better and take care of the ball in this one.
Temple is a scrappy team that won’t go down easily, but Wichita State will get the better of them in the end. Consider the “under” as the Owls may have trouble scoring in this one.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Wichita State 73, Temple 62
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