AAC foes will battle when the No. 7 Wichita State Shockers (16-4, 6-2 AAC) challenge the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (11-9, 4-4 AAC) at Charles Koch Arena. The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 145.5 points with Wichita State opening as a 15.5-point favorite. Action gets underway at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 28, 2018, and it can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Wichita State Shockers Free Preview
In the Golden Hurricane’s last outing, they were victorious over the Memphis Tigers, 64-51. DaQuan Jeffries was the games leading scorer with 24 points on 8-for-15 shooting. The Golden Hurricane forced 20 turnovers and held the Tigers to an effective field goal percentage of 0.382 (below their season average of 0.498).
The Shockers hope to maintain momentum after blowing out the UCF Knights in their last game, 81-62. Wichita State was lifted by Shaquille Morris, who was the top scorer from either team with 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Wichita State dominated every stat category in the game. They had a fantastic free throw rate of 0.355 (above their season average of 0.234) and a turnover percentage of 7.4 (better than their season average of 15.1). UCF was 0.180 and 12.5, respectively, for those same stats.
The high-octane offense of Wichita State (ninth in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 118.4) will battle against the mid-tier defense of Tulsa (173rd in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 102.5). The Shockers should have the advantage on that end of the court.
Of Tulsa’s 17 games that accepted bets, nine have finished over the O/U total, while 9 of Wichita State’s 18 games have finished over the projected point total. The Shockers hold the sizable advantage straight up (SU) (16-4 vs. 11-9), but the Golden Hurricane have been better against the spread (ATS) (11-6 vs. 8-10).
These teams have already met once this season. The two teams combined to score 141 points in that game, which was under the projected point total of 149. The Shockers won 72-69, but were unable to cover as 12.5-point favorites. The Shockers dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a free throw rate of 0.197 and a solid offensive rebounding percentage of 31.6. For those same stats, the Golden Hurricane were 0.051 and 11.8, respectively. Despite the loss, Sterling Taplin was the games leading scorer with 26 points.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Wichita State Shockers Odds Prediction
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Wichita State, ATS Winner – Tulsa, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Shockers rank 49th in blocks per game (4.5) while the Golden Hurricane rank 203rd (2.0).
- Tulsa is 6-4 ATS on the road, while Wichita State is 4-5 ATS at home.
- The total has gone over in 7 of the Shockers 9 home games, while 5 of the Golden Hurricane’s 10 road games have gone over.
- Wichita State ranks fourth in assists per game (18.7) while Tulsa ranks 206th (12.4).
- The Shockers average 41.9 rebounds per game, which ranks fifth in the NCAA. The Golden Hurricane rank 196th in rebounds allowed per game (36.5).
- Wichita State averages 23.8 three pointers per game, which ranks 85th in the NCAA. Tulsa ranks 275th in three pointers allowed per game (27.4).
Betting Trends:
- Wichita State is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Tulsa is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Shockers average margin of victory in their last five games has been 7.6, down from 14.2 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Golden Hurricane have scored an average of 65.8 points per game (7.9 below their season average) and allowed an average of 72.4 points per game (0.5 above their season average).
