Temple vs Cincinnati Predictions & Odds (March 10)

• The Cincinnati Bearcats are 5-point favorites vs the Temple Owls in AAC Tournament play Friday
• Cincinnati and Temple will play for the third time this year, with both teams picking up a win
• See below for the latest Temple vs Cincinnati odds, plus analysis and best bets

With the Houston Cougars expected to lock down a no. 1 seed in SBD’s projected March Madness bracket, perhaps that opens the door for the Temple Owls (16-15, 10-8 AAC) or Cincinnati Bearcats (20-11, 11-7 AAC) in the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

The 4th-seeded Bearcats and 5th-seeded Owls square off in quarterfinal play Friday, with all games going at the Dickies Arena, in Fort Worth Texas.

The winner gets the top-seeded Cougars in the semifinals, with the tournament winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Temple and Cincinnati will be playing the rubber match in their season series, with each team winning one previous matchup.

Action gets underway at 3pm ET, and can be seen live ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Temple vs Cincinnati Odds

Cincinnati enters as 5-point favorites, and -205 on the moneyline, an implied win probability of 67.21%. The game also features a total of 141.5.

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Odds as of Mar 9 at DraftKings. 

Temple vs Cincinnati Betting Analysis

The Owls stagger into AAC quarterfinal play, having dropped six of their final eight to end the season. Their last game was an 83-82 loss at Tulane, a game they trailed by 10 at half, falling just short of the comeback win.

Damian Dunn led Temple with 21 points, five rebounds and two assists, the 4th-straight game he’s led the team in scoring. Jamille Reynolds was a force off the bench, pouring in 17 points, five rebounds and five blocks.

Offensive rebound by Kur, pass to Dame for made 3 to give Owls 1 point lead!

𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗡! #ForPhilly @Dam1anKD pic.twitter.com/VhPe42M0yA

— Temple Men's Basketball (@TUMBBHoops) March 5, 2023

Temple is ninth in the conference in scoring, putting up 70.1 points per game, and they ranked 122nd in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric. While they shot just 33.2% from three-point range, they did hit the 3rd-most threes in the conference.

The Owls downed Cincinnati 70-61 on New Year’s day. Jahlil White was the difference maker in that one, leading the team with 14 points and 16 rebounds, adding two blocks.

Temple vs Cincinnati Head-to-Head

The Bearcats closed out the season strong, winning three of their last four. They closed the year crushing the SMU Mustangs 97-74. David DeJulius dropped 30 points with six assists. Landers Nolley II added 24 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Just two games prior, the Cincinnati backcourt was vital when they knocked off Temple 88-83 in OT on  Feb 22. Nolley II had 20 points and five rebounds, matched by DeJulius’ 20 with seven assists. Dunn gave the ‘Cats all they could handle, scoring a game-high 34 points, with three rebounds and three assists.

This is what it's all about.

It's a CAREER HIGH 30 POINTS for @DavidDejulius as he checks out for the final time in Cincinnati. 🥹#Bearcats | #TheMovement pic.twitter.com/KAWkvOWshg

— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) March 5, 2023

The Bearcats made hay at the stripe, going 28-for-30 from the free throw line, outscoring the Owls by 11 in that category.

Cincinnati was consistent on both sides of the ball in the AAC this season, ranking third in scoring at 77.9 points per game, leading the conference in 3-point makes, at the second-best hit rate of 36%.

Ranked 63rd overall in KenPom, they’re 55th in offensive efficiency, and 76th in defensive efficiency. Their 69.7 points allowed was 4th-best in the conference, just a tic better than Temple.

Temple vs Cincinnati Prediction

While Temple has struggled to put up wins down the home stretch, they have still been a good bet, going 4-0 against the spread in their last four, and they’re even better against better competition, going 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven vs teams with a winning percentage of .600 or higher.

The Bearcats are a good bet after winning big, running a 4-1 ATS mark in their last five games following a win of over 20 points.

As enticing as it is to pick the Owls to cover, the total is the wager you should target. The over has hit in eight of the Owls’ last 10 games, while the over is 6-1-1 in Cincinnati’s last eight contests.

The teams cruised past this total even before hitting overtime in their last matchup, and if they stick to their season scoring averages, this should hit easily.

Pick:

• OVER 141.5 points (-110)