Cincinnati vs. SMU: College Basketball Game Preview, Prediction, TV Schedule

TV Schedule: Thursday, Dec. 7, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN

Arena: Moody Coliseum, Dallas, TX

Line: SMU (-7)

 

One of the two remaining undefeated teams in college basketball, the SMU Mustangs will face their toughest challenge yet, as the Cincinnati Bearcats travel to Dallas with hopes of adding yet another great win to their NCAA tournament resume.

After beginning the season 7-0, the Bearcats have lost four of their last eight games. The good news for Cincinnati, however, is that all of these losses have been relatively close. Cincinnati is one of the best teams in the country on defense, but their offense outside of Farad Cobb and Troy Caupain seems stagnant at times. That changed in the Bearcats’ last game, as they blew out the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 76 – 57.

That being said, the Mustangs blew out Tulsa recently as well, so there is not much to be said about which team is better based on common opposition. SMU may not have played any of college basketball’s elite so far this season, but they have talented wins over several solid teams and are one of the most efficient teams on both offense and defense in the nation, averaging 82.8 points per game and only allowing 62.4.

This game is going to be a tough, grind-it-out affair in which the team that gets to 60 points first wins. Expect both of these teams to make the 2016 NCAA tournament, but the Mustangs to get the win at home and, with no real threats on their schedule until February vs. the Gonzaga Bulldogs, inch closer to a deserved place in college basketball’s top 10.