The Southern Miss Golden Eagles will aim to end a six-game losing streak when they host the North Texas Mean Green in a Conference USA contest on Friday night. The Mean Green (10-6, 6-2) have won five of their last six games, while the Golden Eagles (7-12, 3-9) have been swept in each of their last three series.
This is the first of two meetings between these teams this weekend, with the second matchup scheduled for Saturday.
If you’re looking to get in on this North Texas vs Southern Miss betting contest, our online sportsbook has North Texas as an 8½-point favorite. The over/under set at 126 in our NCAAB odds.
Let’s check the latest college basketball odds, stats, injury reports, and college basketball lines for North Texas vs Southern Miss. We’ve plenty of NCAA basketball odds for you to consider.
Mean Green Beginning to Lock In
North Texas has been hit by COVID-19, but it has maintained momentum. After sweeping UTEP and Rice, the Mean Green split their series with Louisiana Tech last weekend.
The Mean Green have emphasized ball control this season, and they’ve shot the ball very well, hitting 37.6% of their attempts from beyond the arc.
Senior guard Javion Hamlet leads North Texas with 12.9 points and 4.4 assists per game. He’s coming off his worst stretch of the season, though, as Louisiana Tech held him to 11 combined points in their two games.
Senior guard James Reese is scoring 10.8 points and snagging 4.0 boards per game. Senior forward Zachary Simmons also averages in double figures (10.2 points) and leads the team in rebounding with 6.2 per contest.
Thomas Bell and Rubin Jones round out a defensive-minded Mean Green lineup, which enters Friday’s game two games behind UAB for the top spot in the conference’s West Division. North Texas is hoping to inch closer to the top as well as build its resume for NCAA March Madness.
Golden Eagles In Search of a Win
Southern Miss got off to a solid 3-3 start in Conference USA play, but it is now on a six-game losing streak. The Golden Eagles have been swept three times in a row by UTSA, Louisiana Tech, and Rice, respectively.
Southern Miss has been competitive despite the losing streak, with four of those losses coming by narrow margins. There’s a lack of firepower offensively, but there is a competitive identity.
The Golden Eagles will be facing an excellent North Texas defense, ranking No. 31 in field-goal percentage allowed. The Mean Green don’t allow easy shots, and they force a lot of turnovers, which is something Southern Miss has been hounded by.
Junior forward Tyler Stevenson leads the Golden Eagles with 14.7 points and 7.4 boards per game. He made college basketball news when he exploded for 29 points and 10 rebounds in last weekend’s win at Rice.
Junior guard Tae Hardy is scoring 10.6 points per game, but he was held to just three points his last time out. DeAndre Pinckney aids Stephenson in the frontcourt and has scored double figures in three of their last five contests.
Guards LaDavius Draine and Jaron Pierre Jr. round out the starting lineup for the Golden Eagles.
North Texas vs Southern Miss Betting Pick
Two things here. North Texas is hot right now, and its defense has been menacing. Southern Miss had been oddly competitive, though, and in this home spot, it will have a chance.
Stevenson’s play will heavily dictate the direction of this game, but when you do your college basketball betting, you may want to go with North Texas picking up its sixth win in seven games. Defense tends to travel more than offense more times than not, and with the way
Southern Miss has been of late, the Mean Green are the safe pick.
We also like the reasonable total of 126. North Texas will slow the game down, but both teams will do enough to cover.
