The Tulane Green Wave face off against the Cincinnati Bearcats in AAC conference play tonight.
The Green Wave have one of the worst ATS records in the country, while the Bearcats have won three in a row and covered seven straight.
College basketball odds opened with the Bearcats as 4.5-point home favorites and the Over/Under at 151.5.
Will the Green Wave continue to be one of the best teams to bet against in college basketball? I let you know with my best free college basketball pick for Tulane vs. Cincinnati picks on December 29.
Tulane vs Cincinnati best odds
Tulane vs Cincinnati picks and predictions
Tulane is coming off a victory but is just 3-3 SU in its last six games and has covered the spread just once in its previous 10 contests. Meanwhile, the Bearcats are 6-1 SU and 7-0 ATS in its previous seven games, with their lone loss during that span coming by just three points to No. 22 Xavier.
The Bearcats are fresh off a win against Detroit Mercy, where they easily cruised to victory despite going just 6 of 34 from deep, considering they entered that contest shooting an impressive 36.4% from three.
Cincinnati should be able to take advantage of a Green Wave squad that ranks 289th in opponent 3-point percentage (36.3%) and allows 8.5 treys per game. Tulane also ranks 316th in the country in rebounding rate and its smaller players down low could get bullied.
Those issues become all the more problematic when you consider that the Green Wave have played one of the easiest schedules in the country (with their SOS ranked 357th according to ESPN).
Cincinnati is the longer and more athletic squad and has been more impressive on both ends of the floor. Combine that with home-court advantage and that should lead to another cover for the Bearcats tonight.
My best bet: Cincinnati -4.5 (-110)
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Tulane vs Cincinnati spread analysis
Cincinnati has won three games in a row and most recently defeated Detroit Mercy 72-54 last Wednesday. It was a strong defensive performance from the Bearcats, who forced 16 turnovers while limiting the nation's second-leading scorer, Antoine Davis, to 6 of 20 shooting.
The Bearcats are 9-4 on the season but three of those defeats came against highly-rated schools and they kept things close in two of them — including that previously mentioned loss to Xavier, plus a 101-93 loss to No. 4 Arizona.
Cincy is a high-scoring team that averages 80.4 ppg and is led by former Top-100 recruit Landers Nolley (14.5 ppg) and guard David DeJulius (16.6 ppg, 3.2 apg). That duo combines to knock down 4.5 threes per game — at a 41% clip — while big man Viktor Lakhin is practically unstoppable in the paint with 12.9 ppg on 72% shooting from the field.
In its last game, Tulane cruised to an 84-63 victory against Mississippi Valley State. However, the 1-13 Delta Devils might be the worst team in the country (ranking 359th according to KenPom) and the Green Wave failed to cover the spread for the ninth time in their last 10 games.
The Green Wave are 3-3 SU in their last six games with double-digit victories against MSVU, Buffalo, and UL Monroe and defeats to George Mason, Fordham, and Western Kentucky.
It's worth mentioning that Tulane was missing its best player Jalen Cook (20.5 points and 5.3 assists per game) for five games. That said, he couldn't make up for his team's deficiencies against Fordham and George Mason and he'll have a tough time leading them to victory against the Bearcats.
The favorite is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings between these conference foes while the home team has covered in four of the last five.
Tulane vs Cincinnati Over/Under analysis
Although their last two wins have come against underwhelming opponents, the Bearcats have shown improved effort on defense in both contests. They forced a season-high 23 turnovers versus La Salle before holding Detroit Mercy to 34% shooting from the field.
That said, one of the strengths of this Green Wave team is their ability to avoid turnovers and move the ball. They have five players averaging double-digits in points, although Collin Holloway (11.1 ppg) missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury and his status for tonight is up in the air.
Both of these schools also push the pace, with Tulane averaging just 15.4 seconds per possession (15th-fastest in the country) and the Bearcats ranking 58th with 16.3 seconds per possession.
The Over is 5-2 in Tulane's last seven games against teams with a winning record, while going 5-2 in Cincinnati's last seven games overall.
Tulane vs Cincinnati betting trend to know
The Bearcats are 7-0 ATS in their last seven home games. Find more College basketball betting trends for Tulane vs. Cincinnati.
Tulane vs Cincinnati game info
| Location: | Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH |
| Date: | Thursday, December 29, 2022 |
| Tip-off: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN2 |
Tulane vs Cincinnati key injuries
Tulane: Collin Holloway F (Questionable), Jadan Coleman G (Questionable).
Cincinnati: Rob Phinsee G (Questionable), John Newman III F (Out).
