Temple (0-0) vs. Sacred Heart (0-0) Game Info: Monday, November 4, 2024 at 5:30 PM (Liacouras Center) Betting Odds: Temple -13.5 / Sacred Heart +13.5 — Over/Under: 144.5 Click Here for the latest odds to watch: ESPN+ Stream College Basketball all season long on ESPN+. Register now!
Sacred Heart patrons visit the Temple of the Owls on Monday, November 4 at the Liacouras Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and identify the best bets for this game. Here are the Sacred Heart Pioneers vs. Temple Owls predictions.
Preview Temple of Owls
The Temple Owls return to action after a tough 16-20 season, finishing 10th in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) with a 5-13 record. The Owls have struggled at home with a 5-9 straight record and 6-7 ATS, while they have been a little better on the road, going 5-7. They were 10-16-1 ATS and 10-18-0 in over/under.
The Owls are averaging 70.9 points per game offensively, which ranks 260th nationally, while allowing 72.9 points per game defensively (212th). Temple struggled mightily with his shooting last season, hitting just 39.6% from the field (355th) and 31.8% from beyond the arc (295th).
Guard Heiser Miller led the team with 15.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, followed by Jordan Riley, who added 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds. Jalil Al-Abyad contributed 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds.
Preview of Pioneers of the Sacred Heart
The Sacred Heart Pioneers return to action after a balanced 16-16 season, sitting in third place in the Northeast Conference (NEC) with a 10-6 record. The Pioneers were outscored at home with an 11-5 record but struggled on the road, going just 4-11 but a much better 7-8 ATS. Sacred Heart was 16-13 ATS and 16-12-1 in the over/under.
Sacred Heart is averaging 74.1 points per game offensively, ranking 156th nationally, while allowing 72.3 points per game defensively (194th). The Pioneers shot 45.5% from the field (115th) and were elite from beyond the arc with a three-point shooting percentage of 36.5% (43rd).
Sacred Heart’s offense was led by forward Nico Galette with 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and Alex Sobel with 12.3 points and 7.4 rebounds.
Why the Temple Owls Will Win Temple has won five of its last six games. Sacred Heart has lost five of its last six games on the road against non-conference opponents. Sacred Heart has lost the first half in six of its last seven road games against non-conference opponents. Why will the Sacred Heart Pioneers win? Temple has lost seven of its last eight games at the Liacouras Center. Sacred Heart has won three of its last four matches. Temple has lost the first half in 11 of its last 12 games against non-AP ranked opponents. Point Total Facts Five of Temple’s last six games against non-conference opponents at the Liacouras Center have produced over 150 points. Four of Sacred Heart’s last five road games against non-conference opponents have produced a total of 142 points or fewer. Matchup/League Facts Temple ranked 355th among Division I teams in field goal percentage last season (39.6%). Temple ranked 21st among Division I teams in turnover percentage last season (12.4%). Sacred Heart ranked 11th among Division I teams in opponent free throw percentage last season (67.5%). Sacred Heart ranked T18th among Division I teams for blocks per game last season (5.0).
Sacred Heart Pioneers vs Temple Owls prediction
In this Sacred Heart Pioneers vs Temple Owls prediction, Temple comes in as a -13.5 point favorite. Temple is projected to rank 139th this season, while Sacred Heart is projected to be a bottom-40 team, at 328. The Temple Owls were a poor team in coverage last season, failing to do so on 16 of 27 match. They weren’t much better at home with a subpar 6-7 average against the spread and a 5-7 overall record. They were inferior to Sacred Heart offensively and defensively and their Achilles’ heel was their poor shooting. I see the visitors keeping the game close in this match, taking advantage of Temple’s weaknesses. Give me the Sacred Heart pioneers to cover.
The selection in this article is the opinion of the writer, not the consensus of PickDawgz.
