The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (17-10, 10-5 AAC) will travel to BB&T Arena to go head-to-head against the No. 11 Cincinnati Bearcats (24-4, 13-2 AAC) in their home finale. Cincinnati is an 18-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 134 points. Action starts at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 25, 2018, and it can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Cincinnati Bearcats Odds Preview
The last time the Golden Hurricane played, they defeated the UCF Knights, 70-61. DaQuan Jeffries led Tulsa in scoring with 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting. Tulsa dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a phenomenal free throw rate of 0.372 (above their season average of 0.306) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.628 (above their season average of 0.504). UCF was 0.204 and 0.520, respectively, for those same stats.
The Bearcats will look to keep it rolling after blowing out the Connecticut Huskies in their last game, 77-52. Cincinnati received a boost from Gary Clark, who was the games high scorer with 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Cincinnati dominated every stat category in the game. They had a phenomenally low turnover percentage of 7.9 (better than their season average of 15.0) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.532 (above their season average of 0.517). Connecticut was 16.3 and 0.344, respectively, for those same stats.
Cincinnati figures to have the edge on the offensive side of the ball. The Bearcats rank 42nd in offensive efficiency, while the Golden Hurricane rank 180th in defensive efficiency. Also, the Golden Hurricane rank ninth in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.308), while the Bearcats rank 37th in opponents’ FTA rate (0.191).
In terms of the O/U total, these teams are complete opposites. Games featuring Tulsa have gone over 58.3 percent of the time, while Cincinnati games have gone under 58.3 percent of the time. The Bearcats have the superior straight up (SU) record (24-4 vs. 17-10), but both teams have comparable against the spread (ATS) records. Cincinnati is 15-10, while Tulsa is 15-9 ATS.
This is the first time these teams will go head-to-head this year. The Bearcats won all three contests played against each other last season. In the most recent matchup, Cincinnati won 80-61. The Bearcats dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a superb turnover percentage of 9.2 and an extraordinary offensive rebounding percentage of 38.2. The Golden Hurricane were 20.1 and 21.4, respectively, for those same stats.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Cincinnati Bearcats Free Prediction
College Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Cincinnati, ATS Winner – Cincinnati, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Bearcats rank seventh in assists allowed per game (9.9) while the Golden Hurricane rank 196th (14.3).
- Cincinnati ranks 18th in rebounds per game (39.6) while Tulsa ranks 170th in rebounds allowed per game (35.4).
- On the road, Tulsa is 8-5 ATS with 7 overs and 6 unders.
- At home, Cincinnati is 8-4 ATS with 6 overs, 4 unders and 1 push.
- Cincinnati ranks 31st in steals per game (7.6) while Tulsa ranks 232nd (4.6).
- The Bearcats rank 10th in blocks per game (5.6) while the Golden Hurricane rank 208th (2.1).
- Cincinnati ranks 84th in three pointers allowed per game (20.4) while Tulsa ranks 280th (27.1).
Betting Trends:
- Cincinnati is 3-2 ATS with 2 overs, 2 unders and 1 push in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Tulsa is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
- The Bearcats average margin of victory in their last five games has been 15.6, down from 18.9 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Golden Hurricane have scored an average of 74.0 points per game (0.3 above their season average) and allowed an average of 67.2 points per game (4.4 below their season average).
