The American Conference tournament rules favor the top two teams in the regular season, and both benefited greatly to form the final matchup as No. 2-seeded Wichita State meets No. 1 USF in Sunday’s championship game at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
The top seeds receive a bye into the semifinal. That means both were well-rested during semifinal wins on Saturday.
South Florida (24-8) was in command the entire game in an 86-64 win over No. 5 Charlotte. Meanwhile, Wichita State (22-10) earned an 81-68 semifinal win over No. 3 Tulsa.
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Both teams are on a serious roll. South Florida has won 10 in a row and 13 of 14, while Wichita State has won seven consecutive games and nine of 10.
In South Florida’s semifinal win, 6-foot-2 junior Wes Enis and 6-foot-5 senior Joseph Pinion both scored 24 points. American Player of the Year, 6-foot-10 senior Izaiyah Nelson, added 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
In Wichita State’s semifinal win, 5-foot-10 senior Kenyon Giles scored 27 points. A First Team All-Conference selection, Giles shot 10-of-27 from the field and 7-of-16 from three-point range. He was one of five players who scored in double figures for the Shockers.
USF vs. Wichita State Odds
As of this writing, South Florida is a 5.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite, according to BetMGM.
The Over/Under is at 148.5 points.
USF vs. Wichita State On TV
Tipoff for the Wichita State vs. South Florida game is expected to be shortly after 3:15 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on ESPN.
USF vs. Wichita State Prediction
I like South Florida to cover.
These two teams split in the regular season. Wichita State won an 86-85 overtime decision at South Florida on Jan. 18. In the rematch, South Florida won 66-58 at Wichita State on Feb. 11.
This will be an interesting matchup of the best offensive team in the American Conference against the second-best defensive squad.
South Florida is averaging a conference-leading 88.1 points per game. Wichita State is second in scoring defense, allowing teams to score 70.4 PPG. South Florida allows 76.2 points, which is 10th in the American, while Wichita State is fifth in scoring offense (78.3 PPG).
Both teams are close in three-point shooting, with Wichita State having the edge (.345 to .333). Wichita is a strong three-point defensive team, allowing teams to shoot just .313, while opponents shoot .342 against South Florida. The Bulls have the edge in free-throw shooting — .742 to just .691 for Wichita State.
One thing that should add to the intensity of this game is that the American champion may be the only team to earn an NCAA bid. South Florida is No. 49 in KenPom’s ratings, while Wichita State is 82nd.
There will be plenty of urgency between two extremely hot teams.
