Tulane Green Wave at Temple Owls

We head to the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia tonight for an American Athletic Conference clash between the Tulane Green Wave and the Temple Owls. Both teams are limping to the finish line of the regular season, but if you look under the hood, these losing streaks are not created equal.

Temple has dropped six straight games, which is exactly why this line is sitting at a reasonable 4.5 points. However, during that skid, four of those defeats came by six points or fewer against competitive opponents. On the other side, Tulane's recent form is outright alarming. The Green Wave have been completely non-competitive over the last week, getting blown out by 34 points against Tulsa and 28 points against South Florida, while surrendering 90 points in both contests. Their head coach has openly admitted the team’s confidence is shaken, and it shows on the road, where Tulane has dropped their last three away games by an average of 24.3 points.

From a matchup perspective, Temple holds the analytical edge where it matters most in conference play. The Owls protect the basketball at an elite level, boasting the sixth-best turnover rate in the country with just 9.0 giveaways per game. In a tightly lined matchup, Temple’s ability to maximize their offensive possessions is massive. Add in the fact that Tulane gets routinely crushed on the glass with a miserable -7.8 rebounding margin, and Temple should easily dictate the tempo and generate second-chance looks. Derrian Ford and Aiden Tobiason are both rolling right now, combining for over 33 points per game in their last five, while Tulane's top option, Rowan Brumbaugh, is currently battling a late-season shooting slump. With this being Fan Appreciation Night and their home finale, Temple is in a prime spot to bounce back and cover this number against a Tulane squad that looks completely checked out.