Cincinnati vs. SMU Prediction: Picks & Betting Odds – Sunday, March 5, 2023

March 4, 2023, by Andy Molitor College Basketball Predictions

The SMU Mustangs (10-20, 5-12 AAC) visit the Cincinnati Bearcats (19-11, 10-7 AAC) after losing five straight road games. The Bearcats are double-digit favorites by 12.5 points in the matchup, which starts at 2:00 PM ET on Sunday, March 5, 2023. The point total in the matchup is set at 146.5.

Cincinnati vs. SMU Odds

Cincinnati odds to win: -839
SMU odds to win: +571
Spread: Cincinnati (-12.5)
Total: 146.5

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Game Time and Information

Date: Sunday, March 5, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN+
Where: Cincinnati, Ohio
Venue: Fifth Third Arena

Who Will Win Cincinnati vs. SMU?

Cincinnati and SMU Betting Trends, Records Against the Spread

In games it has played as at least 12.5-point favorites this season, Cincinnati is 6-1 against the spread.

SMU has a 2-2 record against the spread in games when it was an underdog by 12.5 points or more this season.

The Bearcats and the Mustangs combine to average 0.9 more points per game than the over/under of 146.5 set for this matchup.

Opponents of the two teams average a combined 2.1 fewer points per game (144.4) than this matchup’s total of 146.5 points.

The average over/under Cincinnati has had set in games this year is 0.4 more points than this outing’s point total.

The average total in Mustangs games this year is 1.5 fewer points than the point total of 146.5 in this outing.

The Bearcats have a 19-10-0 record against the spread this season.

The Mustangs have an 11-17-2 record against the spread this year.

Cincinnati Stats & Insights

Cincinnati is outscoring opponents by 7.7 points per game with a +232 scoring differential overall. It puts up 77.3 points per game (53rd in college basketball) and gives up 69.6 per contest (166th in college basketball).

The 33.9 rebounds per game Cincinnati averages rank 58th in the nation, and are 2.9 more than the 31 its opponents record per outing.

The Bearcats connect on three more threes per contest than the opposition, 9 (33rd in college basketball) compared to their opponents’ 6.

Cincinnati ranks 67th in college basketball with 98.1 points scored per 100 possessions, and 90th in college basketball defensively with 88.3 points conceded per 100 possessions.

The Bearcats are posting 81.8 points per game in home games. In away games, they are averaging 70.1 points per contest.

SMU Stats & Insights

SMU has a -141 scoring differential, falling short by 4.7 points per game. It is putting up 70.1 points per game, 214th in college basketball, and is allowing 74.8 per contest to rank 310th in college basketball.

The 31.4 rebounds per game SMU accumulates rank 203rd in the country, 2.8 fewer than the 34.2 its opponents grab.

SMU connects on 6.4 three-pointers per game (287th in college basketball) at a 31.1% rate (330th in college basketball), compared to the 7.6 per contest its opponents make, shooting 34.3% from beyond the arc.

SMU scores 87.3 points per 100 possessions (322nd in college basketball), while allowing 93.1 points per 100 possessions (226th in college basketball).

The Mustangs are scoring more points at home (70.9 per game) than on the road (67.5).

Cincinnati Key Players to Watch

The Bearcats scoring leader is Landers Nolley II, who averages 16.3 per contest to go with 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

Viktor Lakhin is Cincinnati’s leading rebounder, pulling down 7.1 per game, while David Dejulius is its best passer, averaging 5.2 assists in each contest.

The Bearcats get the most three-point shooting production out of Nolley, who knocks down 2.6 threes per game.

The Cincinnati steals leader is Dejulius, who averages 1.1 takeaways per game, while its blocks leader is Lakhin, who compiles 1.3 rejections per contest.

SMU Key Players to Watch

Zhuric Phelps racks up 17.4 points and adds 3.1 assists per game, putting him at the top of the Mustangs’ leaderboards for those statistics.

Samuell Williamson is at the top of the SMU rebounding leaderboard with 7.3 rebounds per game. He also racks up 9.3 points and tacks on 2.6 assists per game.

Zach Nutall is dependable from deep and leads the Mustangs with two made threes per game.

Phelps (2.3 steals per game) is the steal leader for SMU while Williamson (0.8 blocks per game) is the block leader.