Temple Owls vs SMU Mustangs Prediction, 1/16/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Temple Owls vs SMU Mustangs

Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Location: Moody Coliseum in University Park, TX

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Temple (+17)

The SMU Mustangs (11-5) will take on the Temple Owls (8-9) at Moody Coliseum on Tuesday. SMU opens this matchup as 17-point favorites. The total has been set at 136.5.

The Temple Owls played North Texas and took a loss by a score of 69-51 in their last game. Temple wrapped up the contest with a 30.8% field goal percentage (16 out of 52) and buried 4 of 18 shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, the Owls made 15 of 16 shots for a rate of 93.8%. Regarding rebounding, they compiled a total of 25 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 5 dimes for the matchup while forcing 11 turnovers and getting 6 steals. When it comes to the defense, Temple allowed the other team to shoot 47.2% from the field on 25 out of 53 shooting. North Texas distributed 13 assists and had 4 steals for the game. On top of that, North Texas collected 33 rebounds (14 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't have a block. North Texas finished the game shooting 64.7% when shooting free throws by burying 11 of their 17 attempts. They knocked down 8 out of their 19 attempts from 3-point range. When talking about fouls, the Owls ended up with 14 and North Texas accounted for 15 fouls.

Jordan Riley is one player who was a factor for this game. He walked away with 13 points on 4 out of 12 shooting. He played for 36 minutes played and also totaled 7 rebounds. He ended up shooting 33.3% from the field but finished the game without a dime.

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Temple will take the court with a win-loss record of 8-9 on the season. They currently have an average of 71.2 points per game (264th in D-1) while connecting on 37.9% from the field. The Owls are shooting 29.9% on 3-pointers (143 of 479) and 73.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Temple is snagging 37.6 rebounds per contest and has totaled 186 assists for the year, which is 321st in college hoops in terms of passing. They turn it over 10.6 times per game and as a unit they are committing 15.8 personal fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Owls are able to force 13.5 turnovers per game while drawing 17.4 fouls. They rank 289th in college hoops in allowing assists with 239 surrendered so far this year. The Owls defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 43.8% (444 of 1,013) and they concede 39.4 boards per game as a team. They give up 33.4% from beyond the arc and they rank 211th in college hoops in points per game allowed (72.4).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the SMU Mustangs got the victory with a final of 75-64 against East Carolina. The Mustangs were able to snag 23 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 34 for this contest. They also turned the ball over 12 times, while recording 8 steals in the game. East Carolina committed 14 personal fouls in this contest which took the Mustangs to the charity stripe for 13 shots. They were able to knock down 12 of the free throws for a rate of 92.3%. In the matter of 3-point shots, SMU converted 9 of their 26 attempts (34.6%). At the conclusion of this game, the Mustangs ended up going 27 out of 62 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.5%. The Mustangs allowed East Carolina to make 23 of their 62 tries from the floor which had them shooting 37.1% in the matchup. They wrapped up this game 11.8% from distance by connecting on 2 out of 17 and finished the game at 16 of 25 at the free throw line (64.0%). In regard to attacking the glass, SMU permitted East Carolina to collect 32 in total (13 offensive).

Zhuric Phelps pitched in for the Mustangs for this game. He accumulated 17 points in his 32 minutes of playing time and earned 1 assist for this contest. He converted 4 of 6 in this game for a rate of 66.7%, and had 2 rebounds.

SMU has a mark of 11-5 so far this year. The Mustangs are responsible for committing 17.3 personal fouls every game and they connect on 67.0% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 15.8 times per game (59th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 12.3 times per game. SMU has tallied 1,193 pts for the year (74.6 per game) and they pull in 40.8 boards per game. As an offense, the Mustangs are shooting 45.5% from the floor, which ranks them 145th in college basketball.

The SMU defense gives up 25.6% on shots from 3-point land (88 of 344) and opponents are making 69.4% of their free throw attempts. They give up 11.5 assists and 34.8 boards per game, which has them ranked 85th and 169th in the country. The Mustangs are ranked 9th in the nation in PPG given up with 61.8. They are able to force 13.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 36.7% from the field (3rd in college basketball).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take SMU (-17)

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