Today at 12:00 p.m. ET, the 16th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers take on the SMU Mustangs in Dallas, Texas, at the Moody Coliseum. The Cavaliers are 14-2 this season and 4-1 in ACC play, while the Mustangs are 2-2 in the conference.
Here is my best bet for today’s Virginia vs. SMU college basketball contest. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Virginia is a slight favorite at -1.5 with SMU being a +124 underdog at home.
Virginia vs. SMU (12:00 p.m. ET)
Virginia enters this contest riding a four-game winning streak, and most recently beat No. 20 Louisville 79-70 on Tuesday. The Cavaliers’ top two scorers are Thijs De Ridder (16 PPG) and Malik Thomas (13.1 PPG). Thomas has scored at least 19 points in two of their previous three contests.
SMU is coming off a one-point victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Wednesday. Before that, the Mustangs lost two straight games to Duke and Clemson. On KenPom, SMU is No. 36 while Virginia is ranked 14th. SMU has the 17th highest offensive rating, but its defensive rating is 79th.
SMU averages 88.4 points per game, which is 3.7 more than Virginia does. SMU’s leading scorer, Boopie Miller, is a terrific player, averaging 20.8 points, 7.1 assists, 3.09 rebounds, and two steals per game. Miller is also doing so very efficiently, shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 89.3 percent from the free-throw line, and 40.5 percent on three-pointers.
Even though SMU is offensively sound, they struggle defensively. The Mustangs have only scored 77, 75, and 70 points in their previous three games, which is worrisome. Virginia doesn’t have the most powerful offense, but it has still been more consistent throughout the season. Also, SMU is 3-4 in its last seven contests against SEC or ACC opponents, which is concerning.
