Temple Owls vs. UAB Blazers Point Spread Pick | AAC Championship Predictions

Temple Owls (12-19 SU, 18-16-1 ATS) vs. UAB Blazers (20-11 SU, 20-12-1 ATS)

When: Sunday, March 17th, 3:15 PM (ET)

Where: Dickies Arena, TX, Fort Worth

TV: ESPN

Point Spread: TEMPL +6.5/UAB -6.5

Total: 137.5

Money Line: Temple Owls +225/-286

Notable Injuries

Owls

Blazers

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Temple has been a much better team on the road this season, going 10-8 compared to 6-11 at home. They have also won their last seven road games and have gone 5-0 in their last five.

Overall, the Owls have won six straight games and come into this one with a record of 12-19. In American Athletic Conference play, they have gone 10-13.

Today’s over/under line of 137.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Temple’s games this season (142.5). So far, 13 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s line. The average scoring total in their last three games is 131 points.

As the underdog this season, Temple has an ATS record of 14-8-1. On the road, their ATS mark is 11-6-1. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Owls have gone 9-1 vs. the spread.

UAB enters this game as the favorite, as they have been in 20 of their 31 games this season. The Blazers have a record of 14-6 as the favorite, and they are currently riding a five-game win streak.

At home, UAB is 14-5 this season, and they have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games at home. So far, their average scoring margin at home is +1.9 points per game.

Today’s over/under line of 137.5 is lower than the average over/under line in UAB’s games this season (148.7). This year, 15 of their games have finished with more points than today’s OU line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 150 points compared to their season average of 152.5 points per game.

As the favorite, UAB has gone 9-10-1 vs. the spread this season and they have a home ATS record of 11-7-1. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Blazers have an ATS mark of 7-2-1.

Analysis

The Temple offense is coming off a game where they scored 74 points against Florida Atlantic. They posted a field goal percentage of 43.1% and connected on 12 threes. In terms of offense, the Owls have a season-long field goal percentage of 39%, putting them 394th in the NCAA. Regarding three-pointers, they are ranked 318th in percentage and 108th in three-pointers made.

At present, the Owls’ defense is nationally ranked 177th, allowing 72.0 points per game. In today’s game vs. UAB, the Temple defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, Temple made 18 free throws vs. the Owls.

UAB’s offense is coming off a strong performance, scoring 93 points against South Florida. They had an overall field goal percentage of 53.3% and made 22/30 free throws. Leading the team in scoring was Efrem Johnson with 21 points. Eric Gaines also added 20 points for the Blazers.

So far, the Blazers’ defense is ranked 261st in the country at 75.0 points per contest. So far, the UAB defense is giving up an average of 9.7 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 11.3 times per game (526th).

Betting Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, Temple has an ATS record of 5-0 while averaging 71 per game. The team went 5-0 overall in these games.
• In their last ten games at home, the Blazers have a straight-up record of 6-4 while going 7-3 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 80 points per game in these contests.
• The last ten games that Temple was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 9-1 while going 6-4 straight up.
• The last ten games that UAB was favored, they have an ATS mark of 7-2-1 while going 8-2 straight up.

Rich Crew’s Pick Against the Spread’

Take the Temple Owls +6.5