A five-game home winning streak hangs in the balance for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (16-9) when they compete against the Cincinnati Bearcats (19-7). Action starts at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 18 and will air on CCS.
The Golden Hurricane lost a winnable game to Connecticut 75-73 in their last matchup. Pat Birt finished with 24 points to lead the game. The Bearcats are coming off a 75-60 win over East Carolina in their last game. Octavius Ellis claimed his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Birt has been playing at a high level as of late for the Golden Hurricane, averaging 19.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 4.4 three-pointers over the last five games. Gary Clark has been on fire for the Bearcats. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 14.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 2.6 blocks, and 0.8 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bearcats won the first game 76-57. Farad Cobb was a top performer in the victory with 21 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and five three-pointers.
The Golden Hurricane come into this game 16-9 Straight Up (SU) and 13-9-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Tulsa defense has been on fire lately, allowing an average of 61.2 points per game, well under their season average of 68.6.
In the other locker room, Cincinnati has a SU record of 19-7 and an ATS record of 12-12-1. Most recently, Cincinnati is 7-2-1 ATS over the last 10 games. The Bearcats are a force on the offensive glass, grabbing an average of 13.4 offensive rebounds per game. The Bearcats rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 28th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.42. The Cincinnati defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking ninth in Division I with only 61.5 points allowed per game. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Bearcats, who are the 13th-best team in the nation in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .388.
Following the Bearcats’ latest win over the Golden Hurricane, their SU record against Tulsa moves to 2-0. Additionally, with a 2-0 record, Cincinnati has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cin, ATS Winner – Cin
Notes
Tulsa scores an average of just 73.7 points per game (ranked 136th). Cincinnati ranks ninth in points allowed, giving up 61.5 points per game.
Tulsa typically earns just 74.7 points per home game, ranked 153rd. Cincinnati is the top-ranked team in points allowed on the road, giving up just 58.5 points.
The Cincinnati Bearcats have a defensive rating of 91.9 (ranked eighth), while the Tulsa Golden Hurricane have an offensive rating of 107.6 (ranked 130th).
Tulsa averages 68.4 possessions per game, scoring 1.076 points on each possession. While Cincinnati averages fewer possessions per game with 66.4, they score more points per possession with 1.118.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane average an effective field goal percentage of 50.8% this season. The Cincinnati Bearcats have split their games this season (3-3) when opponents have an eFG% of 50.8% or greater.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane average 21.0 three point attempts per game and are 10-7 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Cincinnati Bearcats average 21.0 attempts and have a winning record (14-5) when attempting 20 or more.
Tulsa ranks 70th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.24, while Cincinnati ranks 28th with an A/TO of 1.42.
Cincinnati, the 59th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.9 rebounds per game. Tulsa does worse, ranked 259th with 34.8.
The Cincinnati Bearcats rank 13th in steals this season, with an average of 8.5 per game. When the Tulsa Golden Hurricane give up at least 8 steals, they have a winning 3-1 record.
