Cincinnati vs. Temple Odds, Picks | College Basketball Betting Guide (Sunday, Jan. 1)

Cincinnati vs. Temple Odds

Sunday, Jan. 1

3 p.m. ET

ESPN

Cincinnati Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
-4.5 -104	142.5 -115o / -105u	-182

Temple Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
+4.5 -118	142.5 -115o / -105u	+150

Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute college basketball odds here.

The Bearcats will make the trip to Philadelphia on Sunday looking to extend their win streak to five. They'll square off against a Temple team looking to get a winning streak of its own rolling.

Temple took down East Carolina last time out to open up conference play with a win and bring its three-game skid to an end. And despite losing three of their last five, the Owls' defense has stepped up big as of late.

They'll need that defense to continue to excel if they want to have a chance against the third best team in the AAC in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency.

Cincinnati Bearcats

The Cincinnati offense has been impressive all season, and even better as of late. On the year, the Bearcats are averaging 80.9 points per game and posting an effective field goal percentage of 53.8%.

Over their last five games, they've averaged 83.6 per game and posted an effective field goal percentage of 54.2%.

The improvement at the offensive end has been due in large part to Mika Adams-Woods taking a step up in playing time, and with that followed an increase in his scoring and rebounding numbers.

Adams-Woods went from 9.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game to 11.6 and 3.6 over the last five, respectively. And while Adams-Woods has improved, David DeJulius, Landers Nolley II and Viktor Lahkin have remained consistent.

The Bearcats push the pace and make very few mistakes, averaging just 10.8 turnovers per game. Cincinnati has been best at the rim due in large part to its big man Lahkin. The Bearcats average 35 points in the paint per game and are hitting 73.2% at the rim on the season.

Defensively, Cincinnati has been great at creating turnovers, forcing teams into 13.5 per game and averaging 17.6 points off of those turnovers.

Temple has struggled with turnovers, coughing up 13.6 per game on the season.

If Cincinnati can pressure the Owls on defense, it will be huge for it in this game.

Temple Owls

The Owls' offense has left a lot to be desired, averaging just 68.8 points per game. They rank outside the top 150 when it comes to effective field goal and 2- and 3-point percentage.

However, their slow pace could help them significantly against Cincinnati, which thrives off of pushing the pace and getting shots up.

Temple's defense has been solid all year, but over their last five games, the Owls have taken it up on a notch. Over the last five, the Owls are limiting teams to just five points off the fast break. They've also averaged 2.4 blocks per contest and have held opposing teams to a field goal percentage of just 72.7%.

The most noticeable improvement for the Owls as of late, though, is how well they defend the mid-range and above the break 3s. Temple has held teams to a ridiculous 8% on mid-range shots over its last five games, and on the perimeter, its holding teams to just 29.1% above the break.

The Owls will need that lockdown defense to continue all over the floor if they want to limit a Cincinnati offense that has been one of the best in the American.

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Cincinnati vs. Temple Betting Pick

The Temple defense will definitely cause some issues for Cincinnati, but I don't think it will be enough.

Cincinnati's advantage around the basket — primarily due to Lahkin — will be too much for the Owls in the end.

Back the Bearcats as high as a 4.5-point favorite over the Owls.

Pick: Cincinnati -4.5 or Better