The Temple Owls (16-14, 8-10 AAC) square off with the Tulane Green Wave (14-16, 5-13 AAC) in the American Athletic Conference Tournament at Amway Center. The game can be seen on ESPNU at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 8, 2018.
Temple is a 5.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 143 points.
Tulane Green Wave vs. Temple Owls Betting Prediction
The last time the Green Wave played, they were topped by the UCF Knights, 60-51. UCF’s 0.354 free throw rate was their biggest advantage over Tulane, who had a mark of 0.167. The Knights’ mark was above their season average of 0.272, while the Green Wave’s was below their season average of 0.251. Melvin Frazier was Tulane’s high scorer with 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting.
The Owls were blown out by the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in their last outing, 76-58. Tulsa was successful at getting to and converting from the free throw line. The Golden Hurricane made 23 of their 26 free throws (88.5 percent), while the Owls were just 10-15 (66.7 percent). Temple’s Quinton Rose put together a good game, leading the team in scoring with 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting.
Temple should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. Temple ranks 36th in the nation at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 16.2 percent), while Tulane forces the 100th-fewest turnovers (17.7 percent).
Tulane heads into the game with records of 14-16 straight up (SU) and 10-15 against the spread (ATS). Of the Green Wave’s 25 games that accepted bets, 13 have finished under the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Temple is 16-14 SU and 16-14 ATS. Vegas has been spot on when setting the O/U total of Owls games, with an even split between overs and unders.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Owls won the most recent matchup 83-76, covering as 2-point favorites. The game finished with a total of 159 points, which was 16.5 points above the projected point total of 142.5 points. Temple was lights out from beyond the arc (12-25; 48.0 percent). Tulane, on the other hand, did a terrific job of converting from the charity stripe (17-24; 70.8 percent). Shizz Alston Jr. recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
Tulane Green Wave vs. Temple Owls Pick
Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Temple, ATS Winner – Temple, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Temple ranks 40th in steals allowed per game (5.3) while Tulane ranks 201st (7.0).
The Green Wave average 15.5 assists per game, which ranks 53rd in the NCAA. The Owls rank 142nd in assists allowed per game (13.3).
Tulane averages 34.4 rebounds per game, which ranks 193rd in the NCAA. Temple ranks 269th in rebounds allowed per game (38.2).
The Green Wave average 4.1 blocks per game, which ranks 56th in the nation. The Owls rank 90th in blocks allowed per game (3.1).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Tulane is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Temple is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Green Wave’s average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 7.8, up from 0.7 for the season.
During their last five games, the Owls have scored an average of 68.8 points per game (0.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 75.4 points per game (5.5 above their season average).
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