The No. 20 TCU Horned Frogs (8-0) are off to a hot start and will try to remain undefeated when they clash against the SMU Mustangs (7-2) at Ed & Rae Schollmaier Arena. The games Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 135.5 points with TCU opening as a 4.5-point favorite. Action starts at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 5, 2017.
SMU Mustangs vs. TCU Horned Frogs Free Preview
In the Mustangs last outing, they were victorious over the No. 14 USC Trojans, 72-55. Malik Milton was the top scorer from either team with 22 points on 6-for-11 shooting. SMU dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a turnover percentage of 14.8 (better than their season average of 14.9) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.585 (above their season average of 0.527). For those same stats, USC recorded marks of 24.1 and 0.479, respectively.
The Horned Frogs come in on a high note after thoroughly outplaying the Yale Bulldogs in their last contest, 92-66. TCU received a boost from Kenrich Williams, who contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds. TCU played a nearly perfect game. They had a turnover percentage of 11.5 (better than their season average of 16.9) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.664 (above their season average of 0.587). Yale was 18.3 and 0.509, respectively, for those same stats.
Looking at effective field goal percentage, this appears to be a balanced contest. Dating back to the 2016-17 season, the TCU offense ranks 51st in the NCAA in that metric at 0.540, while the SMU defense ranks 25th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.460).
These two teams are complete opposites in terms of the O/U total. SMU games have finished under 80.0 percent of the time, while games featuring TCU have gone over 62.5 percent of the time. The Horned Frogs come into this game with a clear advantage in both straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records. They are 8-0 SU and 4-4 ATS, while the Mustangs are 7-2 SU and 3-2 ATS.
The Mustangs won the lone game against the Horned Frogs last season, 74-59. The Mustangs dominated every stat category in the game. They had an absurd free throw rate of 0.442 and a ridiculously low turnover percentage of 7.1. For those same stats, the Horned Frogs were 0.130 and 15.7, respectively.
SMU Mustangs vs. TCU Horned Frogs ATS Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – SMU, ATS Winner – SMU, O/U – Over
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
- The Mustangs average 3.5 blocks per game, which ranks 123rd in the nation. The Horned Frogs rank 184th in blocks allowed per game (3.6).
- SMU allows the seventh-fewest rebounds per game (30.0) while TCU ranks 22nd (31.6).
- SMU ranks 25th in assists per game (16.4) while TCU ranks 275th in assists allowed per game (15.1).
- The Horned Frogs rank 114th in three pointers allowed per game (20.4) while the Mustangs rank 295th (24.4).
- SMU ranks 16th in steals allowed per game (4.9) while TCU ranks 103rd (5.9).
