The No.1-seeded Temple Owls (22-9) and No.2-seeded Miami (FL) Hurricanes (20-11) meet in the semifinals of the NIT tournament at Madison Square Garden. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 31 and can be seen on ESPN.
The Owls come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, dismantling Louisiana Tech 77-59 in the quarterfinals. Will Cummings was the team’s leading scorer with 23 points on 7-for-17 shooting. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are coming off a 63-61 win against Richmond in the quarterfinals. James Palmer had a good game for Miami (FL), accounting for 17 points, six rebounds, and zero steals.
Over the last five games, Cummings has taken his game to another level for the Owls, averaging 16.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 3.4 steals, and 0.8 three-pointers.
The Owls could put on a ball-control clinic in this one. They’re ranked seventh in the nation at avoiding errors (TO% of only 15.4%). Additionally, Miami (FL) forces the 55th-fewest turnovers in the nation (31.6%).
Miami (FL) is a slim one-point favorite over Temple. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 142 points. The Owls have gone 26-10 Straight Up (SU) and 17-15-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The rebounding edge goes to the Owls in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 38.0 boards per game. Temple is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.24. Temple’s defense can be considered one of the best in the country. The Owls allow a .391 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the country.
In the other locker room, the Hurricanes have 24-12 SU and 16-17-1 ATS records. The Hurricanes convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking 35th in the nation at .736. The Hurricanes are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 32nd in Division I at 1.32.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these two. Their previous game was an Owls victory, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 1-1 SU. They are also even ATS at 1-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – TEMPLE, ATS Winner – TEMPLE, O/U – Over
Notes
In its last game, Miami (FL) won by a margin of 21 points. Temple is 5-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Miami (FL) has an 8-2 record in blowouts.
The Miami (FL) Hurricanes rank 64th for their offensive rating of 108.3. The Temple Owls have a defensive rating of 158.4 (ranked 41st).
Temple has an average field goal percentage of 38.5%. Miami (FL) is 12-10 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Temple attempts 21.0 three pointers and Miami (FL) attempts 22.2. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Temple Owls sit at 14-5 and the Miami (FL) Hurricanes are 14-9.
Temple, the 66th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.4 per game. Miami (FL) does worse, ranked 198th with 3.2.
Temple ranks 47th in offensive rebounding. Miami (FL) ranks 127th in defensive rebounding.
Temple records 7.1 steals per game. Miami (FL) is 5-6 when giving up at least 7 steals.
