AAC foes will battle when the Temple Owls (8-9, 1-5 AAC) square off against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (10-8, 3-3 AAC) at Liacouras Center. Temple is a 6.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the games Over/Under (O/U) opened at 139.5 points. Action gets underway at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPNews.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Temple Owls ATS Preview
The Golden Hurricane lost a close one to the No. 5 Wichita State Shockers in their last matchup, 72-69. Sterling Taplin had a good game for Tulsa, leading both teams in scoring with 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting. Wichita State did a terrific job of making free throws (12-15; 80.0 percent). Tulsa, on the other hand, was lights out from beyond the arc (12-26; 46.2 percent).
The last time the Owls played, they were beaten by the Memphis Tigers, 75-72. With 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds, Shizz Alston Jr. had a good performance for Temple. Memphis had a better free throw rate (0.180 vs. 0.105). Temple, meanwhile, forced the Tigers into a turnover percentage of 21.8 (above their season average of 16.9).
Temple may have trouble getting to the foul line in this matchup. The Owls rank 341st in the NCAA with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.170, while Tulsa ranks 36th in FTA rate allowed (0.186).
Of Tulsa’s 15 games with betting action, nine have finished over the projected point total, while 9 of Temple’s 17 games have finished over the O/U total. The Golden Hurricane have the superior straight up (SU) record (10-8 vs. 8-9) and a slight edge against the spread (ATS) (9-6 vs. 8-9).
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Golden Hurricane won the sole contest played against each other last season, 70-68. Tulsa’s free throw rate was their largest strength over Temple. The Golden Hurricane had a rate of 0.348, while the Owls posted a mark of 0.161.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Temple Owls Odds Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Temple, ATS Winner – Tulsa, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Owls average 6.7 steals per game, which ranks 89th in the nation. The Golden Hurricane rank 92nd in steals allowed per game (6.1).
- Tulsa is 5-4 ATS on the road, while Temple is 2-5 ATS at home.
- The total has gone over in 4 of the Owls 7 home games, while 5 of the Golden Hurricane’s 9 road games have gone over.
- Temple ranks 69th in three pointers allowed per game (20.4) while Tulsa ranks 254th (27.4).
- The Golden Hurricane average 38.4 rebounds per game, which ranks 56th in the NCAA. The Owls rank 208th in rebounds allowed per game (37.0).
- Temple ranks 93rd in blocks per game (3.6) while Tulsa ranks 125th in blocks allowed per game (4.1).
Betting Trends:
- Temple is 3-2 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Tulsa is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
- The Owls average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 5.4, up from 1.5 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Golden Hurricane have scored an average of 72.4 points per game (2.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 79.2 points per game (5.4 above their season average).
