9 p.m. ET – Cincinnati at Tulsa (-2) O/U: 132
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | +2 (-115) | +110 | O 132 (-115) |
| Tulsa | -2 (-105) | -130 | U 132 (-105) |
The 7-8 Bearcats travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to take on the 10-9 Golden Hurricanes in a Wednesday night matchup between the fifth- and sixth-place teams in the American Athletic Conference standings. The Bearcats struggled early this season under second-year head coach John Brannen, but they had pieced together a four-game winning streak prior to a 90-52 blowout loss at No. 6 Houston on Sunday. Tulsa defeated Temple last Tuesday, 72-66, despite allowing Temple to shoot 48 percent from the field. These two teams met on Jan. 2 in Cincinnati, where Tulsa prevailed 70-66.
Cincinnati is led by guard Keith Williams, who averages 14.1 points per game. Williams was unable to get anything going on Sunday against Houston, scoring just six points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field. Williams had success in UC’s previous matchup against Tulsa, getting to the free-throw line 14 times which led to him scoring 18 points.
Tulsa is led by guard Brandon Rachal, who averages 14.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Rachal had a season-high 25 points on 8-of-11 from the field in the first matchup vs. the Bearcats. Cincinnati is 3-12 against the spread this season, showing that oddsmakers have had a hard time handicapping the usually formidable team’s regression this year.
The best bet is to target the Over/Under total on Wednesday night, even though oddsmakers have also struggled to adjust to the post-Mick Cronin Bearcats era when it comes to totals. Overs are 8-2 in Cincinnati’s last 10 games, placing a lot of value on the Over total of 132 points. The fact that the Bearcats scored only 52 points in the lopsided loss to Houston last Sunday has deflated the total down. Look for them to will bounce back and have a much more efficient offensive outing on Wednesday night. Take the Over of 132 points.
*Odds courtesy of MyBookie
