SMU vs Cincinnati 3/3/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Cincinnati Bearcats will travel to Moody Coliseum to take on the SMU Mustangs this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Cincinnati Bearcats lost their 4^th straight game and dropped to 17-13 on the season after being defeated by the 14^th ranked Houston Cougars, 71-53, this past Tuesday. Cincinnati had no answers on the offensive end against Houston in the 2^nd half and could not fight back after the Cougars took a 62-46 lead with 6:38 left in regulation. Cincinnati shot 40.0% from the field & 29.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Houston to shoot 42.6% from the field & 31.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bearcats was Mike Saunders Jr. who had 14 points, 3 rebounds, & 1 steal.

On the season, Cincinnati is averaging 69.7 ppg on 40.8% shooting from the field. The Bearcats are averaging 8.1 three-pointers per game on 31.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Cincinnati has been led by David DeJulius (14.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.6 apg), Jeremiah Davenport (13.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Mika Adams-Woods (8.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.1 apg), & Mike Saunders Jr. (7.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.8 apg).

Defensively, Cincinnati is holding their opponents to an average of 65.6 ppg on 40.0% shooting from the field. The Bearcats have a rebound margin of 0.2 and a turnover margin of 1.8.

The SMU Mustangs had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 20-7 on the season after being defeated by the 14^th ranked Houston Cougars, 75-61, this past Sunday. SMU struggled on the road against the tough Houston defense and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 37-22 margin. SMU shot 39.2% from the field & 19.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Houston to shoot 45.3% from the field & 13.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Mustangs was Kendric Davis who had 19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, SMU is averaging 74.4 ppg on 45.1% shooting from the field. The Mustangs are averaging 8.7 three-pointers per game on 36.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, SMU has been led by Kendric Davis (19.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.5 spg), Marcus Weathers (12.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.9 apg), Emmanuel Bandoumel (10.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 apg), & Michael Weathers (10.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.3 bpg).

Defensively, SMU is allowing their opponents to average 67.2 ppg on 39.9% shooting from the field. The Mustangs have a rebound margin of 1.6 and a turnover margin of -1.1.

The Bearcats are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games, however, are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games vs. SMU. The Mustangs are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games, however, are just 2-4 ATS in their last 6 home games.

Cincinnati has been solid on the defensive end this season, ranking 70^th in scoring defense & 29^th in defensive FG%, however, the Bearcats come into this game losing 6 of their last 7 games and have struggled offensively during their 4-game losing streak, averaging just 59.8 ppg. SMU had no answers for Cincinnati earlier this season in a 77-60 road loss, however, between the fact that SMU is a perfect 14-0 at home and that I think their defense, which ranks 28^th in defensive FG%, will give a struggling Cincinnati offense trouble, I’m taking SMU to cover this mid-range home spread. Good Luck!