Temple Owls vs SMU Mustangs Prediction, 2/8/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Temple Owls vs SMU Mustangs

Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Location: Moody Coliseum in University Park, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Temple Owls (14-10) are headed to Moody Coliseum on Wednesday where they will try to beat the SMU Mustangs (8-16).

The Temple Owls played Houston and took a loss by a final of 81-65 in their last contest. Temple finished the contest having earned a 39.2% FG percentage (20 of 51) and made 12 of their 27 three-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Owls made 13 of 18 attempts for a rate of 72.2%. When it comes to hauling in boards, they collected 23 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 14 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing 8 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In terms of the defense, Temple allowed the other team to go 55.8% from the floor on 29 of 52 shooting. Houston doled out 20 assists and had 9 steals for this contest. Moreover, Houston totaled 25 rebounds (6 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Houston went 70.0% at the charity stripe by making 14 of 20 attempts. They also made 9 out of their 21 shots from 3-point land. Regarding fouls, the Owls walked away with 17 and Houston recorded 20 fouls.

Khalif Battle is one guy who came through for the matchup. He finished shooting 50.0% from the floor and distributed 2 dimes. He played 36 minutes and snagged 1 rebound. He left the arena with 24 points on 6 of 12 shooting.

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Temple heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 14-10 so far this season. They have an average of 69.3 points per game (245th in college hoops) on 42.0% from the floor. The Owls are connecting on 32.1% on 3-pointers (186 of 580) and 76.9% from the free throw line. As a team, Temple is snagging 35.7 rebounds per game and has 319 dimes on the campaign, which is 167th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 13.9 times per game and as a squad they are committing 16.8 fouls per contest.

On defense, the Owls are forcing their opponents into 11.7 turnovers per game while drawing 17.8 fouls. They are surrendering 31.3% on shots from distance and they are 158th in college hoops in PPG allowed (68.6). The Owls defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 42.2% (601 of 1,423) and they relinquish 35.5 rebounds per game as a unit. They are ranked 186th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 303 surrendered this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the SMU Mustangs took a loss by a score of 77-72 when they faced East Carolina. The Mustangs were able to corral 20 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards for a total of 30 for the game. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while recording 5 steals in this contest. East Carolina had 13 fouls for the game which took the Mustangs to the free throw line for a total of 19 shots. They were able to bury 15 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 78.9%. In regard to shooting from 3-point land, SMU converted 5 of 15 attempts (33.3%). Overall, the Mustangs shot 26 out of 62 from the field which gave them a percentage of 41.9%. The Mustangs permitted East Carolina to knock down 25 of 56 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 44.6% for the contest. They finished shooting 44.4% from distance by going 8 out of 18 and ended up shooting 19 of 23 at the free throw line (82.6%). In the matter of rebounding, SMU allowed East Carolina to collect 33 in total (8 on the offensive glass).

Zhuric Phelps pitched in for the Mustangs for the game. He made 7 of 19 in this contest for a field goal rate of 36.8%, and earned 5 rebounds. He earned 23 points in his 35 mins on the court and earned 3 assists for the contest.

SMU has a mark of 8-16 for the year. The Mustangs commit 17.3 personal fouls every game and they go 68.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.3 times per contest (172nd in college hoops) and they are turning it over 13.0 times per game. SMU has totaled 1,663 pts for the campaign (69.3 per game) and they average 35.5 rebounds per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Mustangs are connecting on 41.7% from the floor, which is 316th in D-1.

The Mustangs defensively are ranked 300th in college basketball in points allowed per contest with 74.2. They are forcing their opponents into 12.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.8% from the field (207th in D-1). The SMU defense gives up 33.5% on three-point shots (178 of 532) and opponents are converting on 72.0% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 14.8 assists and 38.2 boards per game, which is 328th and 350th in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Temple

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