SMU Mustangs Look to Extend Winning Streak against Tulane Green Wave

Game outlook

On Thursday night, the SMU Mustangs and Tulane Green Wave will face off in an American Athletic Conference clash. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. EDT in Tulane's Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse. In their previous meeting on February 1, SMU emerged victorious with an 80-76 win as eight-point favorites. This time, SMU is once again the favored team, with an opening line of -2.5, which has remained unchanged. It remains to be seen whether Tulane can overcome this prediction and secure a win against the Mustangs.

Betting Odds

Moneyline: Mustangs -146 | Green Wave +124

Spread: Mustangs -2.5 (-110) | Green Wave +2.5 (-110)

Total: Over/Under 158.5 (-110)

Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that SMU will win straight-up is 59%.

SMU Mustangs

SMU currently has an 8-3 conference record and has won their last four games. Despite being ranked 42nd nationally by NCAA.com's net rankings, the team is not currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament. However, if they continue to win, they could still have a chance to secure a spot. One of SMU's strengths is their defense, which has held their last three opponents to under 70 points and allows an average of 64.6 points per game. They also have impressive defensive stats, ranking 10th nationally in opponent shooting percentage and 15th in opponent three-point shooting percentage. Their opponents typically make 17.7 trips to the free throw line. In addition, SMU has a positive rebounding margin (+5.6) and turnover margin (+1.6), making them difficult to score against. On the offensive end, SMU operates at a slower pace but still manages to score an average of 76.2 points per game. They shoot 46.2% from the field and 34.2% from beyond the arc, but their free throw shooting percentage is a concern at 68.9%. They also average 13.7 offensive rebounds and 11.4 turnovers per game. SMU previously scored 80 points against Tulane and it remains to be seen if they can replicate that performance on the road. Overall, SMU ranks 110th in offense and 20th in defense with a power ranking of 5. They have a record of 17-7 this season, with notable offensive rankings of #100 in field goal percentage and #184 in three-point shooting percentage. Defensively, they are ranked #7 in opponent field goal percentage and #5 in opponent three-point percentage. They also average 39.96 rebounds per game and have impressive defensive statistics such as ranking #34 in defensive rebounds and allowing just 28.09% shooting on opponent three-pointers. However, they do have weaknesses such as their free throw shooting percentage (#281 in the nation) and turnovers per game (#102). 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧💢 #PonyUpDallas | @SMUMustangs @Cth23Chuck pic.twitter.com/OQBOewosjc