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Tulsa Golden Hurricane – SMU Mustangs Preview – 02.10.2016

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (15-8) travel to Moody Coliseum to square off against the No. 16 SMU Mustangs (20-2), the best team in the American Athletic Conference. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and will air on CCS.

The Mustangs easily got past South Florida 92-58 on Sunday. Nic Moore had 17 points, eight assists, and three rebounds for SMU. The Golden Hurricane, meanwhile, are coming off a 77-63 win over Houston on Sunday. Pat Birt led the game in scoring with 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting.

This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Mustangs won the first game 81-69. Malik Milton was a top performer in the victory with 24 points, one assist, and seven three-pointers.

The Mustangs enter the game with records of 20-2 Straight Up (SU) and 8-10 Against The Spread (ATS). SMU has been struggling of late. In the last 10 games, SMU has only averaged 69.6 points per game compared to the 80.0 they’ve averaged on the season. The Mustangs are an impressive shooting team from three-point range with a .420 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. The Mustangs have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 44th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 39.9 per game, while the Golden Hurricane rank 241st in the nation with 35.3 per game. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than SMU, which ranks 18th at 1.48. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Mustangs, who allow only 63.6 points per game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Mustangs, who allow a field goal percentage of only .398.

On the other side, Tulsa has a SU record of 15-8 and an ATS record of 11-9-2. Tulsa has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 11.0 per game.

Following the Mustangs’ latest win over Tulsa, their SU record rises to 6-4 over Tulsa in their most recent meetings. The Mustangs also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, SMU and Tulsa each held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings.

Predictions: SU Winner – SMU, ATS Winner – SMU

Notes

The SMU Mustangs average 80.0 points per game, ranking 34th in the nation. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane rank 74th in points allowed with 68.0.

SMU averages 82.3 points per home game (ranked 41st). Tulsa allows 71.1 points per away game (ranked 71st).

SMU won its last game by a 34-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Tulsa is 1-1. SMU is 7-0 in blowouts this season.

The SMU Mustangs have a defensive rating of 96.3 (ranked 43rd), while the Tulsa Golden Hurricane have an offensive rating of 106.4 (ranked 162nd).

The SMU Mustangs have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the nation with a FG% of 50.6%. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.

The SMU Mustangs and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. SMU is 10th and fourth in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Tulsa ranks 190th and 180th in these categories.

Ranked 10th in the nation, SMU has an average of 17.8 assists per game. Tulsa ranks lower at 160th with 13.7.

SMU, the 52nd-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.7 per game. Tulsa does worse, ranked 245th with 2.9.

SMU ranks 36th in offensive rebounding. Tulsa ranks 195th in defensive rebounding.

Tulsa makes an average of 7.0 steals per game. SMU has a superb 10-1 record when it allows at least 7 steals.

Written by GMS Previews

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