Tulane vs Cincinnati Odds, Lines, and Spread

• Tulane (10-9, 7-7 American) battles Cincinnati (8-8, 6-5 American) on Friday, Feb. 26 at 4pm ET
• Cincinnati used a last-minute comeback to beat Tulane on the road back on Feb. 7
• The odds for the game, as well as matchup analysis and a pick, can be found in the article below

The Cincinnati Bearcats have turned a corner on their pandemic-shortened season, as winners in five of their past six. Unfortunately, not a lot of time remains to prove to the selection committee that they belong in the NCAA Tournament.

They can continue making a positive impression on Friday, Feb. 26, at 4:00 pm ET in a home matchup against Tulane. The Bearcats already bested the Green Wave earlier this season, and now they’ll have a shot at doing it again at six-point favorites.

Tulane vs Cincinnati Odds

Odds as of Feb. 25th, 2021 at FanDuel.

How They’ve Fared Recently

Cincinnati is on a mission to prove it belongs in the NCAA tournament. Maybe it’s too late, maybe it’s not. The Bearcats’ best chance to impress committee members has seemingly come and gone with last week’s 90-52 loss to No. 12 Houston. That loss was by far the Bearcats’ worst beating of the season, as they shot just 30 percent from the floor (including 23.8 percent from 3-pt. range).

Pretty rough time to have your worst offensive output of the season. Fortunately, Cincinnati has won all five of its other games since Feb. 4. But even then, the results have been shaky — none of the victories have come by more than three points.

"Oh, it's a steal! Davenport! Cincinnati has the lead!"

JD lays in the game-winner and the #Bearcats get a defensive stop at the other end to earn the victory in our Fujitec Play of the Game. pic.twitter.com/uDZxDiaWPQ

— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) February 25, 2021

In summary, the Bearcats are 5-1 in their past six games, but with a minus-28 point differential. That’s concerning.

Tulane has its own concerns, though. As losers in five of their past seven, the Green Wave are stuck in a rut that is largely due to their anemic offense. They rank 339th in NCAA Division I in effective field goal percentage (43.5 percent), as well as 246th in adjusted offensive efficiency.

They’ve failed to clear 60 points in four of their past five games, and they’ve failed to clear 70 points in 11 of their past 13. This team leans really heavily on its turnover-creating defense (23.4 percent in turnover rate, 16th in D-I) for positive results.

Two-hand stuff by @gymratgabe11 off the turnover!

UCF calls timeout (3:21/2nd)#RollWave 🌊🏀 pic.twitter.com/9TjCxY12e2

— Tulane Men's Basketball (@GreenWaveMBB) February 20, 2021

ATS Analysis

Cincinnati is 4-12 against the spread this year, with a bleak 1-6 ATS home record. The Bearcats have covered just once in their past five games (and it happened as an underdog). They’ve seen the over hit in eight of their past 10.

Tulane is 11-8 ATS overall, which includes a 5-3 ATS mark on the road. They’ve failed to cover in their past two, but they won six in a row before that (all as underdogs). The under has hit in five of their past six games.

@SionJames with the dagger🗡 to put away South Florida!#S2P🌊🏀 pic.twitter.com/2NzrQxZjjo

— Tulane Men's Basketball (@GreenWaveMBB) February 14, 2021

Head-to-Head Matchup

On Feb. 7, Tulane covered as six-point underdogs in a 64-61 defeat against Cincinnati. The Green Wave actually held a one-point lead inside the game’s final minute, before the Bearcats clawed back to steal a road win.

Judging by ATS trends, Tulane is the favorable pick here. Their offense might be tough to look at straight on (kind of like staring into the sun), but their defense wreaks havoc, and gives the Green Wave a great chance to cover — if not win straight up.

Pick: Tulane +6 (-110)