It will be a contest between two stifling defenses when the North Texas Mean Green (14-1, 2-0 CUSA) go head-to-head against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (8-6, 0-2 CUSA) at The Super Pit. The game can be seen on ESPN 3 at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 5, 2019.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. North Texas Mean Green Betting Odds
Both teams won big over their last opponent. The Mean Green defeated the Angelo State Rams 89-55, while the Golden Eagles beat the Southeastern Baptist Chargers 111-66.
Southern Miss dominated every stat category in the game. They had a free throw rate of 0.269 and an offensive rebounding percentage of 43.5. For those same stats, Southeastern Baptist put up marks of 0.100 and 20.4, respectively. Meanwhile, North Texas played a nearly perfect game. They had a free throw rate of 0.250 and an effective field goal percentage of 0.617. For those same stats, Angelo State was 0.140 and 0.412, respectively. North Texas was led by Umoja Gibson, who recorded 32 points. Meanwhile, Cortez Edwards played a key role for Southern Miss with eight points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Golden Eagles won the only contest between these two teams last season, 85-78. Southern Miss made good use of their 31 trips to the charity stripe, converting on 26 of them (83.9 percent). North Texas, meanwhile, was just 16-25 (64.0 percent). This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams.
The Golden Eagles’ Edwards has been playing at a high level over his last five games, averaging 0 points per game. Meanwhile, Ryan Woolridge has averaged 0 points during that same time frame for the Mean Green.
This matchup pits one of the NCAA’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses. North Texas ranks 28th in offensive efficiency and Southern Miss ranks 37th in defensive efficiency.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. North Texas Mean Green Betting Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – North Texas, ATS Winner – Southern Miss, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- North Texas ranks 29th in three pointers allowed per game (19.3) while Southern Miss ranks 238th (26.7).
- The Golden Eagles rank 34th in steals per game (8.2) while the Mean Green rank 86th in steals allowed per game (6.1).
- Southern Miss averages 3.8 blocks per game, which ranks 68th in the NCAA. North Texas ranks 97th in blocks allowed per game (3.6).
- The Mean Green rank 34th in rebounds allowed per game (31.3) while the Golden Eagles rank 208th (37.6).
- North Texas ranks sixth in assists allowed per game (9.3) while Southern Miss ranks 102nd (12.7).
Bettings Trends:
- The Golden Eagles’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 11.8, up from 9.1 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Mean Green have scored an average of 86.0 points per game (8.4 above their season average) and allowed an average of 56.0 points per game (5.5 below their season average).
