The SMU Mustangs will play the West Virginia Mountaineers on Monday night in the Fort Myers Tip-Off at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida. SMU is coming off of their first loss of the season, while West Virginia has won two of their first three games.
SMU Preview
The SMU Mustangs are 3-1 this year after they lost to Texas A&M by a score of 79-66 in their last game. SMU trailed 39-32 at the half, but they allowed 40 points in the second half for the loss. The Mustangs shot 35.4% from the field and made 10 three pointers in the game. SMU won their first three games of the season, with two coming against Western Illinois and Lamar. SMU is scoring 79 points per game with 46 rebounds per game and 16.5 assists per game, while giving up 65.5 points against per game this year. Chuck Harris is averaging 14.3 points per game, 2.0 rebounds per game, and 1.8 steals per game for SMU this season. The Mustangs are shooting 41% from the field, 70.7% on free throws, and 30.3% on three pointers this year.
West Virginia Preview
The West Virginia Mountaineers are 2-1 this season after they defeated Jacksonville State by a score of 70-57 in their last game. West Virginia held their opponent to only 27 points in the first half and hung on for the win, despite only scoring 30 points in the second half. The Mountaineers shot 51.1% from the field and won the rebounding battle by a total of 38-34. West Virginia defeated Missouri State in their season opener, but they lost to Monmouth in their second game. West Virginia is scoring 67.3 points per game with 39.3 rebounds per game and 13 assists per game, while giving up 63 points against per game this year. Quinn Slazinski is averaging 17.3 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, and 3.0 assists per game for WVU. The Mountaineers are shooting 37.7% from the field, 70.6% on free throws, and 30.6% on three pointers this season.
Pick
SMU is coming off of their first loss of the season against Texas A&M, and they did not play well offensively in that game. West Virginia has a disappointing loss to Monmouth on their resume so far, and they are only shooting 37% from the field. SMU has been the better shooting team so far this season and they are averaging seven more rebounds per game. Take the Mustangs to pick up a huge win here.