Tulsa vs. Cincinnati Pick
Is No. 11 Cincinnati giving up too many points at home when the Bearcats play host to Tulsa today at Noon ET?
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, Cincinnati is the clear favorite at home, as the Bearcats are getting odds of -19 points against Tulsa. The over/under total for the contest has yet to be set. Today’s game takes place from the BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky and will air live on the CBS Sports Network.
Tulsa comes into today’s game riding a six-game win streak. The latest victory was 70-61 at home over Central Florida. Tulsa is 17-10 overall, 10-5 in the AAC and 15-9 against the spread. The Golden Hurricanes are putting up 73.7 points per game this season while allowing 71.6 per contest on defense. Junior Etou is leading the team with 15.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while Sterling Taplin is adding 12 points and 4.4 assists per contest.
Cincinnati snapped a two-game losing streak this week by beating Connecticut 77-52 at home. The Bearcats are now 24-4 overall, 13-2 in the AAC and 14-10-1 against the spread. Cincy is averaging 75.8 points per game on offense this season while allowing 56.9 per game on defense. Jacob Evans averages 13.3 points and 3.4 assists per game to lead the Bearcats while Gary Clark is adding 12.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest.
Cincinnati has won the last three meetings with Tulsa, covering in the last two. These two haven’t met this season, but Cincinnati has been a tough team to deal with at home. The Bearcats are allowing just 55.9 per game at home while scoring 82.5 per game. They also have managed an 8-4 record against the spread at home. Tulsa has had a pretty good season, but I think the Golden Hurricanes will struggle with the Cincinnati defense and the Bearcats won’t be slowed on offense by Tulsa. The spread is great, but I think Cincy can cover it. The public betting is split, but I will take the Bearcats.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREDICTIONS: CINCINNATI -19