Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between SMU and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 32-24 lead against Charlotte.

SMU entered the match having won three straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it four, or will Charlotte step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

Charlotte 49ers @ SMU Mustangs

Current Records: Charlotte 6-6, SMU 9-4

How To Watch

What to Know

We've got another exciting American Athletic matchup on schedule as the SMU Mustangs and the Charlotte 49ers are set to tip at 9:00 p.m. ET on January 2nd at Moody Coliseum. Both teams have allowed few points on average, (SMU: 62.2, Charlotte: 63.5) so any points scored will be well earned.

SMU scored the most points they've had all season to find success last Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Racers 92-65 on the road. SMU might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won five matchups by 19 points or more this season.

SMU can attribute much of their success to Chuck Harris, who scored 16 points along with five assists and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Charlotte last Friday, but the final result did not. They fell to the Hatters 79-75. Charlotte got off to an early lead (up 12 with 13:17 left in the first quarter), but sadly they weren't able to maintain that momentum.

Despite their loss, Charlotte saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Igor Milicic Jr., who scored 22 points along with nine rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Milicic Jr. has scored all season. Dishon Jackson was another key contributor, scoring 19 points.

The win (which was the Mustangs' third in a row) raised their record to 9-4. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 83.0 points per game. As for the 49ers, their loss was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 6-6.

Tuesday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy match: SMU have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 40.4 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Charlotte, though, as they've been averaging only 32.1 rebounds per game. Given SMU's sizeable advantage in that area, Charlotte will need to find a way to close that gap.

Looking ahead, SMU is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 8.5 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they've covered the spread the last five times they've played.

Odds

SMU is a big 8.5-point favorite against Charlotte, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 8.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is set at 134.5 points.

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