The undefeated Yale Bulldogs (3-0) look to extend their hot start when they take on the SMU Mustangs (2-0) at Moody Coliseum. Action gets underway at 4:30 pm ET on Sunday, Nov. 22 and can be seen on ESW and ES3.
The Mustangs were victorious over Stanford 85-70 on Thursday. Nic Moore fueled the Mustangs with 17 points, five assists, and four rebounds. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-67 win against Lehigh on Thursday. Justin Sears played well for Yale, recording 16 points, eight rebounds, and eight blocks.
SMU is a heavy 12-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is sitting at 139 points. The Mustangs come into this game unbeaten with a 2-0 record Straight Up (SU) and 1-0 Against The Spread (ATS). The Mustangs have the top-ranked offense in terms of FG%, shooting .591 from the floor. SMU has the 15th-most assists in Division I, averaging 20.5 per game. Turning to the defensive side, the Mustangs prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 17th in the nation with 11 total three-pointers allowed (5.0 per game).
As for their opponent, the season has started off great for the Bulldogs, who have an impressive record of 3-0 SU and 1-0 ATS. The Bulldogs convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking 33rd in the nation at .765. Yale is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Bulldogs average 17.7 offensive rebounds per game, making them the 11th-best team in the country for that category.
SMU and Yale will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Yale, ATS Winner – Yale, O/U – Over
Notes
Southern Methodist is 19-3 SU in its last 22 games.
SMU averages 85.0 points per game (ranked 61st). Yale, on the other hand, allows 67.0 points per game (ranked 115th).
Ranked fifth, the SMU Mustangs have an offensive rating of 131.6. The Yale Bulldogs, on the other hand, rank 158th with a defensive rating of 98.2.
The Yale Bulldogs average 68.1 possessions per game and 1.213 points per possession. The SMU Mustangs earn fewer possessions with 64.6, but they score more points with 1.316.
Yale has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.0%. SMU is undefeated (1-0) when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The 14th-ranked team in the category, SMU has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.86 this season. Yale ranks 69th with an A/TO of 1.38.
Yale, the 63rd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 43.3 rebounds per game. SMU does worse, ranked 180th with 38.0.
SMU makes 7.5 steals per game. In games where it gives up 7 or more steals, Yale is undefeated at 1-0.
