The South Florida Bulls (4-17) travel to play the Tulane Green Wave (8-13) in what should be a low-scoring game. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 27 and can be seen on ES3.
The Green Wave are hoping to rebound after their 97-75 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday. Malik Morgan was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off a 71-62 win against Houston on Saturday. Jahmal McMurray was the game’s top scorer, registering 30 points on 9-for-19 shooting.
Half-court execution will be of utmost importance when two of the nation’s slowest-paced teams square off. Tulane ranks 295th in possessions per game (66.9), while South Florida is 302nd (66.6).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Green Wave winning the first matchup 81-70. Dylan Osetkowski put up a double-double in the victory with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Tulane is a seven-point favorite against South Florida and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 126 points. The Green Wave have gone 8-13 Straight Up (SU) and 6-8-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Tulane in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 13.0 offensive boards per game.
In the other locker room, the Bulls have 4-17 SU and 8-8 ATS records. The South Florida Bulls have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 13.0 offensive rebounds per game, 46th in the country. Moving on to the South Florida defense, the Bulls have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the country at .307. Blocking shots is an area where South Florida has excelled. The Bulls average 5.6 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
In their previous meeting this season, Tulane beat South Florida, bumping its SU record to 5-4 over the South Florida Bulls. On the other hand, South Florida holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tulane, ATS Winner – SoFla, O/U – Over
Notes
Tulane is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
Tulane is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games.
Tulane is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games at home.
Tulane is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing South Florida.
Both Tulane and South Florida are a poor 1-7 SU against conference foes.
South Florida scores just 59.9 points per away game (ranked 331st). Tulane ranks 74th in points allowed at home, giving up 63.6 points.
The Tulane Green Wave average 66.9 possessions and .975 points per possession in games this season. The South Florida Bulls average fewer possessions with 66.6, as well as fewer points per possession with .945.
Tulane has an average effective field goal percentage of 46.0%. South Florida is an underachieving 1-11 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
South Florida, the 16th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.6 blocks per game. Tulane ranks 84th with 4.3.
Tulane ranks 46th in offensive rebounding. South Florida ranks 105th in defensive rebounding.
On average, Tulane makes 5.8 steals per game. South Florida is a subpar 3-15 when it gives up at least 5 steals.
