It is a busy night of college basketball with plenty of intriguing action across the Wednesday slate. Tipping off as part of some American Athletic Conference action, the UAB Blazers will face off with the Temple Owls.
These teams currently sit in fifth and seventh place in the conference standings, and this will be the first time they have matched up this season. They have played just seven times in program history. UAB has won four of these matchups, including three consecutive entering tonight’s game. Temple’s last win over UAB took place in the 2013-14 season.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, UAB enters as a narrow 1.5-point favorite with -108 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Temple holds -112 odds of winning outright, and the game total is set at 144.5 points.
UAB at Temple prediction, preview
The UAB Blazers hold a 16-10 record on the season, and have gone 7-6 in American Conference play. They are looking to bounce back from a narrow 55-54 loss to Tulane in the previous game, but are 4-2 in their past six games. On the season, UAB has gone 12-13 against the spread in qualifying matchups, and the game total has remained under in 16 of these 25 games.
The Blazers are averaging 79.8 points per game, which is the 101st-best rate among D1 teams. Andy Kennedy’s squad also ranks 171st in offensive rating, 277th in field goal percentage, 362nd in three-point percentage, and pulls in the 11th-most rebounds per game. Defensively, UAB gives up 73.9 points per game, which ranks 190th in the country. They also rank 73rd in defensive rating, 100th in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 118th in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Chance Westry leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game. Jacob Meyer is not far behind, adding 13.4 points and 3.9 rebounds. However, injuries have become a bit of a factor with Meyer missing the previous game due to an ankle injury, and his status is uncertain for tonight. Daniel Rivera and KyeRon Lindsay each also add over 11 points per game, and combine for 13.5 rebounds per contest. Ahmad Robinson attempts a team-leading 4.0 three-point attempts per game, along with 9.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.4 rebounds. He is also battling injury issues and missed the previous game. Evan Chatman, Salim London, and Dayjaun Anderson also play notable roles in the rotation.
The Temple Owls hold a 15-10 record and are 7-5 in conference play. They are looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses against Tulane and North Texas. The Owls are 11-5 over their past 16 games played. On the season, Temple has gone 10-14 against the spread in qualifying games, and the game total is 12-12 in these matchups.
Adam Fisher’s group is scoring 74.7 points per game, which ranks 226th out of the 365 qualifying D1 teams. The Owls also rank 107th in offensive rating, 230th in team field goal percentage, and 166th in team three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 70.4 points per game against Temple, which ranks 89th in the country. The Owls also rank 195th in defensive rating, 176th in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 61st in opponents’ three-point percentage allowed.
Derrian Ford headlines the production for Temple, posting averages of 18.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. Aiden Tobiason adds 15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, while Jordan Mason adds 11.7 points and a team-high 4.4 assists. The lone other player averaging in double figures is Gavin Griffiths, who adds 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Masiah Gilyard, Babatunde Durodola, and Jamai Felt each also play key roles in the rotation.
UAB at Temple pick, best bet
Both these teams have had some struggles on the season and particularly in conference play. Each side is coming off a loss, but there is a higher bar of expectation for this Temple team.
UAB is coming off a concerning loss to Tulane in which they shot just 32% from the field and 15% on three-point attempts. They will now look to shift the outlook against a Temple team that ranks 89th in opponents’ points per game. The Owls are holding opponents to an average of 70.4 points per game, and have limited teams from scoring more than 70 points in 13 of their 25 games played. UAB is also 4-9 against the spread in conference matchups.
Expect Temple’s defense to be the biggest storyline in this matchup. They do an excellent job limiting opponents on the perimeter, ranking 79th in opponents’ three-point attempts allowed and 61st in opponents’ three-point percentage. Facing a UAB team that ranks 290th in three-point volume and 362nd in perimeter efficiency, expect this area of the floor to be a non-factor. Temple also does an excellent job taking care of the ball, ranking 10th in the country in turnovers tallied.
UAB is not a talented enough offensive unit to crack this Temple defense. Expect points to be difficult to come by from the Blazers and for Temple to pave the path to the win. While they are not excellent in any individual category, they do make it a clear focus not to put themselves in a bad spot and play a controlled method of basketball. Back the Owls to find a way to get a win, with their defense being the main story in this matchup.
