UAB and Temple are both looking to build momentum ahead of the ACC Conference tournament — both schools’ only hope of reaching the Big Dance this year.
The Blazers have had a solid season with an 18-11 record overall. UAB is 15-12-1 against the spread, but they have been through a bad stretch of play recently. They have lost three of their last four and only covered the spread once. Their offense has been lacking, with the UNDER for total points hitting in two of their last three.
Temple has had a challenging season with a poor overall record of 11-18. The Owls are a little better against the spread with a 12-14-2 ATS record. After a 10-game losing streak, the Owls have bounced back and won three of their last four, covering the spread twice and winning two outright as underdogs.
Here is the UAB vs. Temple betting news, player props and a prediction for tonight’s American Athletic Conference matchup. The game tips off tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Live odds for UAB vs. Temple
Here are the spread, moneyline and total points live odds for UAB vs. Temple at the best online sportsbooks.
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UAB Blazers betting news
The Blazers have had some big wins in AAC play but have lost three of their last four, including two defeats by teams in the bottom four spots in the conference. UAB has two games left and really needs to get things back on track before the AAC Tournament, as any hope of an at-large bid is gone after their last four games.
The Blazers are an offensive-first team, ranking 90th on KenPom for adjusted offensive efficiency, and their defense is the team’s weakness. With 215th-ranked adjusted efficiency for defense, UAB has lost some close contests this season when they have let opponents score too easily late in matchups.
As mentioned, the offense is solid but lacks a star player who can go and get buckets when the Blazers are in a cold stretch. They have a balanced offensive attack with five players averaging double figures. Their leading scorer, Yaxel Lendeborg, is one of the best post players in the conference and one of the best rebounders in the country with 12.2 boards per game.
He has a solid frontcourt partner in Javian Davis, who is scoring 10.2 PPG and grabbing 6.0 rebounds while shooting an efficient 57.5% from the field. The Blazers’ guard play has been productive, with three averaging between 10.5 and 11.4 PPG. Yet none of the three guards shoot better than 44% from the field, and none shoot better than 36% from three.
The Blazers can be dangerous when one of their players steps up to have good performances. When a player scores over 20 points, UAB is 10-3 this season. In contests where no player scores more than 20 points, they are only 8-8.
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Temple Owls betting news
The Owls are having a tough season and went through a double-digit losing streak in conference play. Give Temple credit, though, as they have fought back and are trying to end their season on a high note. That could help propel them to an AAC Tournament run, as the only hope for postseason play would be if Temple can win the conference tournament.
It is no surprise with the Owls’ poor season that their advanced stats are not very good. They rank 237th for adjusted offensive efficiency and 171st for adjusted defensive efficiency. Too often, the Owls don’t score enough to be competitive, and their top scorers are inefficient. Hysier Miller leads the Owls in scoring at 15.7 PPG but only shoots 34.3% from the field and 27.7% from three.
Temple’s other two double-digit scorers, Jordan Riley (12.4 PPG) and Jahil White (11.2 PPG), are not much better. Neither shoots over 30% from three, and neither is better than 47% from the field. They’ve won three of their last four thanks to better offensive efficiency. In two of the three wins, the Owls shot at better than 45% from the field and 38% from three. In the one win where the shooting percentage was not as good, the Owls grabbed 22 offensive rebounds to make up for it.
UAB vs. Temple player props at FanDuel Sportsbook
Here are some of the top player prop markets for the UAB vs. Temple from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Jordan Riley player props
- 12.5 points OVER (-130) / UNDER (+100)
Hysier Miller player props
- 15.5 points OVER (-125) / UNDER (-105)
- 3.5 assists OVER (-132) / UNDER (-108)
Efrem Johnson player props
- 10.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-120)
Yaxel Lendeborg player props
- 14.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-120)
- 9.5 rebounds OVER (-136) / UNDER (-102)
Eric Gaines player props
- 9.5 points OVER (-120) / UNDER (-110)
- 4.5 assists OVER (-122) / UNDER (-114)
UAB vs. Temple prediction: UAB gets back on track
The Blazers have been a really solid team this season, and despite a tough stretch recently, expect them to take advantage of a bad Temple side tonight. The Owls have been better lately, but UAB should pull away to win by multiple possessions late in the game.
Pick: UAB
