The Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-2) will be at home in Gallagher-Iba Arena when they square off against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (7-4). The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 149.5 points with Oklahoma State set as an 11-point favorite. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 19, 2017.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys Free Preview
The last time the Golden Hurricane played, they were victorious over the Manhattan Jaspers, 80-66. Junior Etou was the games high scorer with 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting. Tulsa dominated every stat category in the game. They had an extraordinary free throw rate of 0.458 (above their season average of 0.338) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 35.7 (above their season average of 30.1). Manhattan was 0.103 and 30.6, respectively, for those same stats.
The Cowboys will look to keep it rolling after narrowly defeating the No. 19 Florida State Seminoles in their last contest, 71-70. Oklahoma State rallied around Mitchell Solomon, who contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds. Oklahoma State’s turnover percentage was their largest strength over Florida State. The Cowboys had a rate of 18.6 (worse than their season average of 15.3), while the Seminoles posted a mark of 24.3 (above their season average of 14.3).
The prolific offense of Oklahoma State (29th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 108.9) will square off against the mid-tier defense of Tulsa (219th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 103.1). The Cowboys figure to have the advantage on that side of the ball. Also, the Golden Hurricane are among the NCAA’s best at getting to the line, ranking 17th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.347). The Cowboys, meanhwile, rank 324th in opponents FTA rate (0.252).
These two teams are complete opposites in terms of the O/U total. Tulsa games have finished over 75.0 percent of the time, while 100.0 percent of games featuring Oklahoma State have gone under. The Cowboys hold the substantial advantage straight up (SU) (8-2 vs. 7-4), but the Golden Hurricane have the superior against the spread (ATS) record (5-3 vs. 4-4).
Solomon has really been playing well over the last five games for Oklahoma State, averaging 9.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams, after the Cowboys won the lone contest last season, 71-67. Oklahoma State won the rebounding battle. The Cowboys had 17 offensive rebounds and 41 total rebounds, while the Golden Hurricane had five and 30, respectively.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Oklahoma State Cowboys Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Oklahoma State, ATS Winner – Tulsa, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Cowboys average 17.0 assists per game, which ranks 76th in the nation. The Golden Hurricane rank 85th in assists allowed per game (13.8).
- Tulsa is 3-2 ATS on the road with 3 overs and 2 unders.
- At home, Oklahoma State is 3-2 ATS with 5 unders and 0 overs.
- Oklahoma State ranks 45th in three pointers allowed per game (18.1) while Tulsa ranks 175th (26.0).
- The Cowboys average 7.0 steals per game, which ranks 53rd in the NCAA. The Golden Hurricane rank 139th in steals allowed per game (7.2).
- Oklahoma State ranks 111th in blocks per game (3.9) while Tulsa ranks 128th in blocks allowed per game (3.2).
Bettings Trends:
- Oklahoma State is 1-2 ATS with 3 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Tulsa is 2-2 ATS with 2 overs and 2 unders.
- The Cowboys average margin of victory in their last five games has been 10.6, down from 13.4 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Golden Hurricane have scored an average of 75.2 points per game (2.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 70.8 points per game (2.7 below their season average).