NCAA basketball odds: No. 23 SMU at Rutgers

SMU will play its first game as a ranked team since 1984-85 on Thursday night when the surging Mustangs of coach Larry Brown visit Rutgers. SMU is a 7-point WagerWeb favorite.

 

Rutgers enters off a 79-69 win at South Florida on Saturday. Kadeem Jack scored a career-high 31 points. Myles Mack added 15 points and Wally Judge had 10 to help Rutgers (10-14, 4-7 American Athletic Conference) win for the first time in eight road games. Judge blocked two shots and had eight rebounds for the Scarlet Knights, who outrebounded the Bulls 37-30. Jack hit all 13 of his free-throw attempts and was 9 of 14 from the field. Rutgers made 21 of 26 free throws for 80.8 percent.

 

SMU had a very impressive 76-55 win against No. 7 Cincinnati on Saturday. Nick Russell had 15 points to go with a couple of big steals as SMU ended the Bearcats’ 15-game winning streak. It was the Mustangs’ third win over a Top 25 team in seven games since moving back into renovated Moody Coliseum on campus five weeks ago. Before their recent surge, the Mustangs (19-5, 8-3 American Athletic Conference) hadn’t defeated a ranked opponent anywhere since December 2003. They hadn’t had multiple wins against Top 25 teams in the same season since 1984-85, the last time SMU appeared in the poll. They reached as high as No. 2 that season.

 

SMU is second in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (1st American), holding opponents to 36.7 percent from the field. The Mustang defense is also holding opponents to 61.0 points per game, good for 17th in the NCAA (2nd American). SMU has held 24 of its last 33 (18 of 24 this year) opponents under 40% shooting. On the glass, the Mustangs have outrebounded 20 of 24 opponents this season.

 

On offense, the Mustangs are leading the conference in field goal percentage, shooting at a 49.6-percent clip in 2013-14 (7th NCAA). The Mustangs are also shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc, good for third in the conference. SMU is second in the league in assists per game at 15.5 (32nd NCAA), and is averaging 72.8 points per game. Additionally, the Mustangs have outscored 23 of 24 opponents in the paint by an average of 35.8-20.4.

 

On Jan. 21, SMU beat visiting Rutgers 70-56. Markus Kennedy scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead SMU. The Scarlet Knights missed 15 of their first 16 shots and went more than nine minutes without a field goal during the first half. Rutgers finished shooting 32.7 percent from the field.

 

WagerWeb trends: Mustangs are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall. Mustangs are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 vs. American Athletic Conference. Mustangs are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a ATS win. Mustangs are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a S.U. win. Scarlet Knights are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games. Scarlet Knights are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. Scarlet Knights are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games.