SMU Mustangs (10-20) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (19-11)
March 5, 2023 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Cincinnati Bearcats -11.5 / SMU Mustangs +11.5 ; Over/Under: 146
(Get latest betting odds)
The SMU Mustangs and the Cincinnati Bearcats meet Sunday in college basketball action from Fifth Third Arena. SMU is currently 10-20 on the year. The Mustangs lost to Memphis back on Thursday. As for Cincinnati, they’re 19-11 overall following a loss to Memphis last weekend. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
SMU Mustangs
SMU managed to go 8-14 across their first 22 games of the year. The Mustangs are just 2-6 since then however, falling to Tulane, East Carolina, Wichita State, Houston, South Florida and Memphis with wins otherwise versus Temple and East Carolina.
In the Memphis game back on Thursday, the Mustangs fell behind 50-37 by the break. SMU didn’t end up getting any closer from there on a 31-25 run and lost 81-62. Zach Nutall led the team on 15 points and Samuell Williamson doubled on 14 points with 11 boards.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Over on the Cincinnati side, their year began on a 14-8 stretch through 22 games. The Bearcats have since gone 5-3 with wins over Tulsa, UCF, South Florida, UCF again and Temple alongside losses to Tulane, East Carolina and Memphis.
Last Sunday versus Memphis, the Bearcats fell behind 41-30 going into the second half. Cincinnati made a second-half run on a 43-35 stretch but fell short 76-73. David DeJulius topped the team on 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll stick with Cincinnati in this one. The line’s thick enough to make a good case for SMU, though. The Bearcats didn’t start out well against Memphis in their last game, however they ended up shooting a nice 49.2 percent from the field with a 39-29 rebounding advantage. The 20 turnovers didn’t help, though. The last time the Bearcats saw SMU was back on January 14 at SMU Moody Coliseum. That one was a tight game, with Cincinnati eking out a 54-52 victory in the end. This home rematch probably won’t be as close if Cincinnati plays well, so I like the Bearcats better cover-wise.
