Planning on watching today’s Owls and Mustangs game? Catch the action at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX, as the Mustangs hosts this showdown at 9:00 ET on ESPNU. The over/under for this game is set at 141.5 points, and SMU is favored by -11.5 vs. Temple in a American Athletic conference matchup.

TEMPLE OWLS VS SMU MUSTANGS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Temple Owls +11.5

This game will be played at Dickies Arena at 9:00 ET on Thursday, March 14th.

WHY BET THE TEMPLE OWLS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-69 in favor of the Mustangs.
  • Even though we have SMU winning straight-up, we like Temple at +11.5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 141.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 144 points.

Does Temple Have A Chance at Dickies Arena?

Temple is 12-19 this season and 5-13 in the American Athletic Conference. The Owls are 5-8 on the road, where they have won two straight games and gone 4-6 in their last 10.

As the underdog, Temple is 4-14 this season, and they have gone 3-0 on the road recently. In their last game, the Owls beat UTSA 64-61.

When looking at Temple’s ATS record this season, they are just 13-16-1. However, they have been much better vs. the spread as the underdog, going 9-8-1. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Owls are 7-3 ATS. On the road this season, Temple has an ATS mark of 6-6-1 and they are 3-0 vs. the spread in their last 3 road games.

On the season, the over/under record for Temple sits at 15-14-1 and today’s line of 141.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games of 143.1. So far, 14 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 with an average scoring total of 154 points.

Most recently, the Temple offense finished with just 64 points vs. UTSA. For the game, they hit 6/18 three-point attempts and a field goal percentage of 36.1%. Offensively, the Owls hold a season-long field goal percentage of 39%, placing them 394th in the national rankings. When it comes to three-pointers, they are ranked 347th in terms of percentage and 102nd in three-pointers made.

At present, the Owls’ defense is nationally ranked 226th, allowing 73.9 points per game. So far, the Temple defense is giving up an average of 9.5 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 9.6 times per game (394th).

Can the SMU Offense Score Enough at Home?

SMU has been great at home this season, going 12-3 with an average scoring margin of +14.4 points per game. Over their last 10 games at home, they have gone 9-1.

They come into this game having lost four games in a row, including their most recent game against UAB by a score of 74-70. On the season, they are 20-11 and 10-7 in American Athletic Conference play.

SMU’s ATS record this season is currently at .500 (14-14-1), but they have struggled vs. the spread as the favorite this year (11-9-1). Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Mustangs have gone just 3-7 vs. the spread.

Today’s over/under line of 141.5 is lower than the average over/under line in SMU’s games this season (145.1). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 150 points, which is higher than today’s over/under line. So far this year, 13 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line.

In contrast to their season average of 76.9 points per game, the SMU had a below average performance. They scored 70 points against UAB and had a field goal percentage of 40.9%. The team’s top scorer is Zhuric Phelps, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 14.8, while Chuck Harris also maintains a PPG average of 13.3 leading up to the game.

At this time, the Mustangs’ defense is positioned 61st in the country, permitting 67.6 points per game. SMU’s three-point defense is currently 90th in the country at 6.5 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 40.3% of their shots vs. SMU.