Cincinnati vs Missouri | Prediction & Pick

Bearcats and Tigers go big in the capital city

Two power teams from two of the power conferences tangle as the Cincinnati Bearcats of the Big East play the Missouri Tigers of the Big 12 in a second round West Region contest on Thursday in Washington D.C.

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#6 Cincinnati (25-8, 11-7 Big East) vs. #11 Missouri (23-10, 8-8 Big 12)

Date/Time: Thursday, March 17, 9:50 PM ET
Venue: Verizon Center in Washington, DC.
Broadcast: TNT

Money Line: Cincinnati -103, Missouri -117
Spread: Missouri -1
Over/Under: 139

This will be the first meeting ever between these two schools, and it figures to be one of the more exciting second round contests in this year’s tournament. Both teams are hoping to improve on disappointing showings in their conference tournaments.

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The Bearcats are back in the tournament for the first time since 2005, and would like nothing more than to erase the memory of their 38-point Big East quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame from their collective consciousness. The Tigers, making a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, are also looking to stem the tide following a quarterfinal loss to Texas A&M in the Big 12 tournament meant their season finished with four losses in their last five contests.

Cincinnati uses a balanced scoring attack. Yancy Gates leads the way averaging 11.8 points per contest. The 6’9” junior forward also paces the Bearcats on the glass averaging 6.8 rebounds per outing. Dion Dixon is second on the club in point production at 11.6 per game, shooting 36.6 percent from three-point range. Sean Kilpatrick also likes to shoot the three-ball, knocking down 46-of-118 from beyond the arc. The Bearcats are 8th best in the entire nation in scoring defense at just 59.2 points allowed per game.

Missouri is one of the better scoring teams in the entire country. The Tigers averaged 81.4 points per game as a team, good for 9th best in the nation. They are also unselfish, ranking 13th in the country in assists at 16 ½ per game. Mizzou has five players averaging double figures in scoring per contest, led by Marcus Denmon at 17.1 per game. Ricardo Ratliffe is one of three in double figures also averaging over 50% of field goals made, hitting a team best 57.5 percent from the floor.

The odds makers have the Missouri Tigers as a -1 point favorite with an over/under of 139.

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Prediction: Many might quibble with some of the tournament committee’s selections, but it’s hard to argue with this matchup. This is a classic matchup of a team that likes to score a lot of points (Missouri) against a team known for its stingy defense (Cincinnati); something’s gotta give. I think it’ll be the Bearcats, as the Tigers have too many offensive weapons for Cincinnati to deal with.

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Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Trends:

• Cincinnati is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games