Temple ATS Pick to Sink La Salle in Big Five
After sharing the Big Five title with Villanova a season ago, Temple looks to add another Big Five win against visiting La Salle. Temple is favored to win the game according to the college basketball lines.
After topping Drexel 66-64, Temple lost to Columbia 78-73 and also lost to Ole Miss 77-76 to fall to 3-2. La Salle’s lone loss came to Duke before the Explorers bounced back with a win over Coppin State.
The college basketball odds list Temple as a four-point favorite.
Temple has won four games in a row against La Salle with each of the four games finishing under the total.
With Lucas Mercandino returning after missing four games, La Salle is at full strength for this matchup.
For Temple, forward Steve Settle is questionable and guard Jahlil White is out. White is the third-leading scorer and top rebounder for the Owls while Settle is third on the team in minutes per game.
Coming into the season, Temple (+5000) is tied for 10th in the odds of winning the American Athletic Conference title while La Salle (+10000) has the longest odds of winning the Atlantic 10 title.
When looking at the college basketball futures odds, Temple is priced at +100000 in the odds of winning the national championship.
La Salle Looking to Rebound
There is probably no bigger concern for La Salle in the early portion of the season than the struggles to rebound.
La Salle is outside the top 300 among Division I men’s teams with an average of 33 rebounds per game.
The Explorers were outrebounded 42-27 in the loss to Duke.
Part of the issue is that 6-foot-10 sophomore Rokias Jocius, who is La Salle’s top rebounder, is playing just 23.3 minutes per game.
The Las Vegas odds total has gone over in four of the last five games played by La Salle. However, the last five matchups with American Athletic Conference teams landed under the total.
Miller Happy He Stuck Around at Temple
After finishing fifth on Temple in scoring a season ago despite leading the team in minutes per game, Hysier Miller has stepped things up on offense.
He has gone from averaging 8.6 points to 20.8 points as Temple saw four players, including leading scorer Khalif Battle, transfer after a coaching change at Temple. Adam Fisher, who began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Big Five power Villanova, was hired after stints as an assistant coach at Miami and Penn State.
It’s a Big 5 gameday with a spot in the Big 5 Classic championship game on the line!!#Team128 pic.twitter.com/lLN1iAuFhs
— Temple Men’s Basketball (@TUMBBHoops) November 29, 2023
Miller is just 17-for-43 from the field in his last two games.
UMBC transfer Matteo Picarelli and freshman Zion Stanford are among other key offensive players for Temple.
Temple is 8-2 against the college basketball spread in its last 10 games.
La Salle vs Temple Betting Lines
Go With Temple to Continue Dominance vs La Salle
Temple isn’t quite the program that it used to be. However, the Owls do know how to take care of business against La Salle with 15 wins in the last 17 games between the teams.
Temple has won its last seven home games against La Salle. That is something to consider when making NCAAB picks today.
With Temple being favored by four points, it makes sense to roll with the Owls in this Big Five matchup.
La Salle was only down by 10 points at halftime against Duke before things got away from the Explorers. Can they hang around against Temple? Four of the last five times that the Explorers played at Temple, the game was decided by eight points or less.
La Salle is 1-1 against the spread as the underdog this season and 0-1 as the road underdog. Temple has covered against the Las Vegas odds in two of its three games this season as the favorite and is 1-1 ATS as the home favorite.
Many of those who bet online have been going with this game finishing under the 143½-point total.
College Basketball Pick: Temple Owls -4
La Salle vs Temple Game Information
- Game: La Salle (5-1) vs Temple (3-2)
- Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA
- Date/Time: Wednesday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m. ET
- La Salle vs Temple Live Stream: TBS.com
Questions Of The Day
Who are the current odds favoring in the Big 5 Classic between La Salle and Temple?
Temple is listed as a 4-point favorite against visiting La Salle.
Which team's defensive strategy might impact the final score?
Both teams are allowing just over 70 points per game. Temple has the edge in steals and blocked shots.
