Oklahoma State vs. Cincinnati Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Wednesday, Feb. 21 (Target Total)
By Reed Wallach
Cincinnati's bubble hopes for the NCAA Tournament are in clear view as the team searches for quality wins.
What's more important for the Bearcats is avoiding bad losses, which is on the line on Wednesday night against Oklahoma State, one of the worst teams in the Big 12. Instead of targeting the point spread in this Big 12 showdown, I'm going to target the total.
Keep reading for our best bet on Wednesday's matchup;
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Oklahoma State vs. Cincinnati Odds, Spread and Total
Cincinnati vs. Oklahoma State Betting Trends
- Oklahoma State is 10-13-2 against the spread (ATS) this season
- Cincinnati is 6-3-1 ATS in the last 10 games
- Cincinnati is 7-11 ATS as a favorite
- Oklahoma State has gone OVER in seven of 12 games as a favorite
Oklahoma State vs. Cincinnati How to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, February 21st
- Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
- Venue: Fifth Third Arena
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN+
- Oklahoma State Record: 11-14
- Cincinnati Record: 16-9
Oklahoma State vs. Cincinnati Key Players to Watch
Oklahoma State
Javon Small: The East Carolina transfer has been one of the small pieces of upside on the Oklahoma State roster that has floundered in Big 12 play. Small has scored in double figures in four straight games despite falling off from beyond the arc, after shooting north of 40% in non-conference play he's shooting only 34% from three in league games. However, he has still made plenty of trips to the free throw line and dished the rock, seventh in assist rate in league play.
Cincinnati
Dan Skillings: The sophomore wing has been a consistent part of the Cincinnati roster, scoring in double figures in all but two conference games and filling the stat sheet, He is grabbing six rebounds per game and nearly one steal per game. Can he open up the Bearcats offense at home against Oklahoma State's poor league defense?
Oklahoma State vs. Cincinnati Prediction and Pick
Both teams have struggled on offense in league play, two of the bottom three teams in terms of effective field goal percentage since the calendar flipped to Big 12 competition, and I'm going to target the under between these two teams.
Neither team plays particularly fast, each outside the top 200 in terms of pace according to Haslametrics, and neither can shoot it whatsoever. Both teams lean on their defense as Oklahoma State's work on the defensive glass is strong, third in Big 12 DREB% according to KenPom, which can negate Cincinnati's primary strength on offense of generating second chances.
The Bearcats are tops in the Big 12 in terms of offensive rebounding percentage, offsetting the team's poor shooting by getting simply more volume up, but the Pokes may find success in this regard.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati's defense is one of the best in the league, holding foes to the fourth-lowest effective field goal percentage in Big 12 play and don't commit fouls, posting the third-lowest free opponent throw rate. That's massive against Oklahoma State, who is ultra-reliant on getting to the charity stripe, tops in Big 12 free throw rate.
This game is setting up for a slug fest, I'll go under.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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