In the night’s largest college basketball game, in-state rivals Houston and Texas face off. The Cougars are only a half-game back of first place in the conference, while Texas absolutely needs to win this game after four conference losses. Houston has won four straight heading into tonight’s game, while Texas has dropped three of their previous five.
The Longhorns are 6-14 against the spread this season and have struggled to meet preseason predictions. They’ve only covered the spread once in their last five attempts, and it came as a 4.5-point underdog against Oklahoma. Texas’ offence has been on fire recently, with six of their previous seven games going over the total points.
Houston has been the stronger spread bet this season, finishing 11-9 ATS. During their current four-game winning streak, they have won three of their past four games. They vary from Texas in that defence is their calling card, and in four of their last six games, the total points have been under.
This is the first of two meetings between the Cougars and Longhorns this season. Here’s the latest Houston vs. Texas betting news, player props, and a betting prediction for tonight’s Big 12 game. The game starts at 9 p.m. on ESPN.
Houston Cougars Betting News
The Cougars are one of the top college basketball teams, and they have been very consistent. Aside from a little two-game slide at the start of Big 12 play, Houston has been spotless. It all starts with their defence, which is ranked first on Kenpom in adjusted efficiency. They suffocate their opponents and make every point scored against them difficult.
While their defence is great as always, their offence is as good as any Houston club in the last decade. They are 14th in adjusted offensive efficiency and have played a 66th-ranked strength of schedule. So, the Cougars have put together strong defensive and offensive ranks and have done well against some of the finest competitors in the
L.J. Cryer, their highest scorer (15.2 PPG), is a great free throw shooter (88.2%) and a good three-point shooter (38.7%). It’s not a one-man show, either, as the Cougars have two more players averaging double figures. Emanuel Sharp (12.2 PPG) and Jamal Shead (11.7 PPG) contribute consistently, and Shead leads the club in assists with 5.9 APG.
The team’s defensive stats are quite impressive, with all eight players averaging at least 15 minutes and 0.8 steals each game. Six average more than 1.0 each game, while Jamal Shead averages 2.3. If there is an area for improvement, it would be in shooting efficiency. Only one of the Cougars’ top five scorers shoots higher than
Texas Longhorns Betting News
The Longhorns have had a rough start to conference play, going 3-4 in the Big 12. That came after a 12-2 start to the season, but with conference play, Texas is currently 14-6. The Longhorns aren’t losing by much, but they’re struggling to finish games. All four of their conference losses were by 12 or less points, with two by less than six.
Texas’ defensive end is its weakest point on the court. The Longhorns’ offence ranks 26th on Kenpom in adjusted defensive efficiency, but their defence ranks 73rd. Texas’ nonconference strength of schedule is 305th, despite ranking 87th overall. It is fair.
The Longhorns have a lot of skill, and now that they’ve suffered a couple painful losses, the question is whether they can rebound and start winning close games. They will turn on Max Abmas to improve his late-game performance and hope he delivers. Abmas, an Oral Roberts transfer who is using his COVID year to play a fifth season of college basketball, is an outstanding scorer.
From his sophomore to senior years at Oral Roberts, he averaged 24.5, 22.8, and 21.9 points per game. While scoring only 17.6 points per game at Texas this season, he has increased his efficiency by shooting better from three and the field than his career averages.
Houston vs. Texas Prediction: Texas covers the spread.
The Cougars are the road favourites in tonight’s game, and while they could win, keep in mind that Texas has been competitive even in losses. The Longhorns should play with a bit more urgency. They may even pull off an upset, but they should not lose by double digits.
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