Betting preview for the NCAA Tournament First Four Game between Temple and Belmont

The Temple Owls (23-9) and Belmont Bruins (26-5) will square off on Tuesday night. The opening tip time for this NCAA Tournament game in Dayton, Ohio is slated for 9:10 PM ET. According to the current (3/18) NCAA betting odds at 5Dimes, Belmont is a 3.0-point favorite and there’s a posted total of 155.0.

Both teams are #11 seeds in the East Region. The winner of this play-in game will advance to play #6 seed Maryland on Friday in Jacksonville, Florida.

Owls Tough Following a Loss

Temple lost 80-74 to Wichita State in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Despite that defeat, they were able to secure one of the last 4 NCAA Tournament at-large bids. The Owls have been a very resilient team which is evidenced by their 7-1 record this season following a loss their previous game.

Dangerous Dogs

Temple has gone a very profitable 7-3 ATS as an underdog during their 2018-2019 campaign and won straight up on 5 of those 10 occasions.

Sharp Shooting Bruins

Statistically, Belmont is one of the best offensive teams in the country. They’ll head into NCAA Tournament action as the nation’s #2 scoring team at 87.4 points per game. The Bruins are also 4th in field goal percentage at 49.8 and have made a very respectable 37.4% of its 3-point shot attempts.

Belmont has shot 49% or better during 6 of its last 7 and 13 of their previous 15 games. Their loss to Murray State during the Ohio Valley Conference Final halted a season high 14-game win streak. They were held to 39.1% shooting in that defeat. It was only the 3rd time in 31 games that Belmont was held below 40% shooting, and on each occasion it resulted in a Bruins defeat.

Team Betting Trends

Temple enters the NCAA Tournament having won 6 of its last 8 games. They’ve seen 11 of their 15 games go over the total this season following either 6 or 7 wins during their previous 8 games played. Additionally, the Owls have scored 70 points or more in 7 of its last 8 games.

The Owls are a perfect 8-0 ATS this season when facing teams that have made 37% or more of their 3-point shots. Furthermore, Belmont has gone over in 8 of 11 games when there’s been a total of 155.5 or less.

Early Public Wagering
As of Monday (3/18) at 7:10 PM ET, a consensus of NCAA odds at all major offshore sportsbooks are showing 67% of individual tickets and 69% of money has been wagered on Belmont. Regarding the total, 56% of individual tickets which have accounted for 90% of money bet has gone on the under.

Ross Benjamin is a top sports analyst and one of the sports industry's most respected handicappers. Follow him on Twitter: @RossBenjamin1 or visit his website at RBWins.com