SMU vs North Texas Basketball Prediction, Odds and Picks - Jan. 24

SMU vs North Texas Basketball Prediction, Odds and Picks - Jan. 24 | College Basketball Season 2023-24

Modified Jan 25, 2024 01:17 GMT

Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic - SMU v Hawaii

College basketball action continues, and this time, it will be SMU vs North Texas. It features one of the best teams currently in the AAC (the Mustangs) going against an up-and-comer (the Mean Green), with both teams actually having quite good campaigns so far.

This in-conference matchup pits the SMU men's hoops squad (13-5) against a Mean Green team (11-6) looking to avenge their first in-conference loss dealt by Charlotte. The Mustangs, on the other hand, look for their third straight win to further solidify their place in the top half of the conference.

SMU vs North Texas Prediction

This is a battle of the top two defensive teams in the AAC, so fans shouldn't be surprised if this game could be among the lowest-scoring college basketball games in recent memory. But there are other, more glaring problems at play here.

North Texas, for one, just couldn't score. They're currently the worst-scoring team in the AAC by far at a conference-bottom 67.5 PPG on just 42.8% shooting. Not only will they be going up against an SMU team that scores almost nine points more on average, but also limit their opponents to 62.4 PPG on 37 percent shooting. Despite that, the Mean Green does have the matchup's best scorer in guard Jason Edwards (16.2 PPG, 42.1% FG).

If the Mean Green can at least find their shooting touch at the right time, they should win this game. Their defense alone could keep things close with the Mustangs too, as they are the best defensive team in the conference thus far. They limit their opponents to an insane 58.3 PPG on 37 percent FG shooting, which is elite by all standards.

Coincidentally, SMU is the second-best defensive team in the AAC. They're bannered by Zhuric Phelps (2.0 steals per game) and Tyreek Smith (1.5 blocks per game) at this end of the floor.

So who wins? Well, North Texas needs to keep this a low-scoring game at all costs to take away SMU's biggest strength. Then, it could be a war of attrition throughout.

SMU vs North Texas Betting Odds

TEAM	SPREAD	TOTAL	MONEYLINE
SMU	-19	UNDER 67 (-110)	-1115
NORTH TEXAS	+21	OVER 66 (-110)	+900

SMU vs North Texas Head-to-Head

In men's college basketball, SMU and North Texas have met each other 17 times since the 1949-1950 season (when both teams were first classified into the major leagues), and 51 times total since 1917. The Mustangs lead the all-time series handily at 34-17.

Here's one thing interesting though: the Mustangs and the Mean Green have not played for over 20 years--since the 2002-2003 season (via Sports Illustrated). Aside from that, SMU has beaten North Texas in 9 of the last 11 games since 1984-85.