The No. 17-ranked SMU Mustangs (11-0) look to extend their hot start when they meet the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-4) at Donald Reynolds Center. Action begins at 5:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 29 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Golden Hurricane enter this game hoping for similar success after dismantling Northern Arizona 90-55 in their last matchup. Rashad Smith was a key piece with 11 points, six steals, and four rebounds. The Mustangs, meanwhile, are coming off a 70-66 win against Colorado in their last game. Nic Moore was the game’s top scorer, registering 16 points on 7-for-18 shooting.
Jordan Tolbert has been hot over the last five games for the Mustangs, averaging 17.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.6 blocks.
SMU takes on Tulsa as a four-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 141 points. The Golden Hurricane come into this game 8-4 Straight Up (SU) and 6-5 Against The Spread (ATS). Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the Tulsa offense, which averages just 11.2 turnovers per game.
Over on the other bench, the Mustangs have records of 3-4 ATS and 11-0 SU. Offensively, they average 84.0 points per game, which is good for 27th in the country. The Mustangs convert their three-pointers at a high percentage, ranking ninth in the nation at .429. The Mustangs have controlled the glass with an average of 43.0 rebounds per game, 12th in the country. The Mustangs are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 14th in Division I at 1.64. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Mustangs allow just 62.2 points per game, ranking them 21st in the nation.
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, SMU came out on top, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. They are also even ATS in their most recent games (5-5). Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – SMU, ATS Winner – SMU, O/U – Over
Notes
Tulsa is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tulsa’s last 7 games.
Tulsa is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games at home.
Tulsa is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Southern Methodist.
Tulsa is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games when playing Southern Methodist.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tulsa’s last 6 games when playing at home against Southern Methodist.
Tulsa is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Southern Methodist.
SMU averages 84.0 points per game (ranked 27th). Tulsa, on the other hand, allows 70.1 points per game (ranked 161st).
SMU scores 76.7 points per away game (ranked 44th). Tulsa ranks a poor 264th in points allowed at home, allowing 72.3 points.
The SMU Mustangs have a defensive rating of 92.2 (ranked 30th), while the Tulsa Golden Hurricane have an offensive rating of 108.9 (ranked 117th).
Tulsa averages 70.6 possessions per game, scoring 1.089 points on each possession. While SMU averages fewer possessions per game with 66.7, they score more points per possession with 1.260.
The SMU Mustangs have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 11th in the country with an eFG% of 58.0%. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher eFG%.
This season, Tulsa attempts 20.0 three pointers per game and SMU attempts 15.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane are 5-2 while the SMU Mustangs are undefeated at 2-0.
The 14th-ranked team in the category, SMU has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.64 this season. Tulsa ranks 91st with an A/TO of 1.22.
Ranked 12th in the nation, SMU averages 43.0 rebounds per game. Tulsa ranks lower at 267th with 34.8 RPG.
The SMU Mustangs rank 33rd in offensive rebounds. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane rank 179th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 21.6% when playing Tulsa this season. SMU is undefeated (2-0) when its TO% is 21.6% or higher.
