SMU Mustangs vs Cincinnati Bearcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/06/2022

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Thursday, January 6, 2022

Venue:  Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  SMU +2, Cincinnati -2; Over/Under:  139.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  SMU +2, Cincinnati -2; Over/Under:  139.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  SMU +2.5, Cincinnati -2.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

 

SMU Mustangs:  11-3 (1st place, AAC)

Cincinnati Bearcats:  10-4 (8th place, AAC)

 

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SMU Mustangs:  5-0 last 5

Cincinnati Bearcats:  3-2 last 5

 

 

 

SMU is coming into this game with a 11-3 record overall and they are 2-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 3rd conference matchup of the year and they are currently 2-0 in their conference games this season. Their last loss was against the Loyola Marymount Lions but they have gone on an eight-game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Sam Houston State Bearkats, the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, the UNLV Rebels, the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Dayton Flyers, the New Mexico Lobos, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, and the UCF Knights in their last game. Kendric Davis led the team in points in that game with 20 while Michael Weathers was next on the team with 19 points. Davis led the team in assists in that game with 8 while he and Weathers both led the team in rebounds with 8 each. They were 42.9% from the field, 25% from 3-point range, and 77.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. The SMU offense is averaging 78.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68 PPG against them. SMU has an ATS record of 7-7 this season and their O/U record is 10-4.

 

 

Cincinnati is coming into this game with a 10-4 record overall and they are 8-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 2nd conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 0-1 in their conference games this season. They have won 3 of their last 4 games but are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game which snapped a 3 game winning streak that they were on. Their 3 wins in that span were against the Florida A&M Rattlers, the Ashland Eagles, and the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles while their loss came against the Tulane Green Wave in their last game. Jeremiah Davenport led the team in points in that game with 19 while Mika Adams-Woods was next on the team with 9 points. Davenport and John Newman III both led the team in assists in that game with 3 each while Davenport led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 35% from the field, 20% from 3-point range, and 50% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 70.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 60.6 PPG against them. Cincinnati has an ATS record of 4-7-2 this season and their O/U record is 4-9.

 

Cincinnati is coming into this contest as a 2 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Both of these teams have been having great seasons this year but Cincinnati is going to edge out SMU in this game. SMU is coming into this one on an 8 game win streak and Cincinnati will be looking to snap that streak for them. Cincinnati has been good in their home games this season but they are already down 0-1 in their conference games. They have a lot of motivation to get up for this game as they have a chance to even up their conference record at 1-1 here at home and they can snap the long winning streak of SMU as a cherry on top. Cincinnati does not score as much as SMU does but they allow a lot less points and play much better defense which will be a big reason why they stop SMU here. The best bet to place in this game is on Cincinnati to cover the spread here.

 

SMU Cincinnati Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, January 6, 2022 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Cincinnati 74 SMU 68.

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SMU Mustangs: 38-23 O/U in all games. 14-8 O/U when the total is 140 to 149.5. 21-8 O/U when playing only their 2nd game in a week. 8-3 O/U after 2 straight games where they were called for 15 or less fouls. 8-0 O/U off a win by 10 points or more over a conference rival. 14-5 O/U off a home win by 10 points or more.

Cincinnati Bearcats: 23-41 ATS in all games. 5-14 ATS when the total is 140 to 149.5. 15-29 ATS as a favorite. 11-19 ATS as a home favorite or pick. 12-20 ATS in all home games. 15-21 ATS against conference opponents. 3-11 ATS after a game giving up 5 or less offensive rebounds.

 

 

SMU Mustangs:  None.

Cincinnati Bearcats:  None.

 

 

“The way we responded over the last four or five minutes, when it really gets hard and which is when the games are won or lost, I love the way we played the last four or five minutes.” - Tim Jankovich on his team’s win against UNM.

 

 

"We got to continue to have great weeks of practice, keep building and the only way to do it is work but it didn’t carry over to the first 20 minutes of the game. I’m disappointed, frustrated. I think our team feels the same way, and to be sitting here talking about a lack of effort is like, it’s unacceptable but that’s the truth of it." - Wes Miller on his team’s loss against Tulane.

 

 

 

E. Bandoumel 

K. Davis 

I. Jasey 

Zach Nutall 

M. Weathers

 

M. Adams-Woods 

Abdul Ado 

J. Davenport 

D. Dejulius 

J. Newman

 

 

PPG: K. Davis (21.5)

APG: K. Davis (5.4)

Reb/G: M. Weathers (7) 

 

PPG: J. Davenport (12.9)

APG: M. Adams-Woods (3.5)

Reb/G: J. Davenport (5.1)

 

Coaches:

SMU Mustangs: Tim Jankovich (7th season)

Cincinnati Bearcats: Wes Miller (1st season)