Houston vs. Cincinnati Pick
Can No. 18 Cincinnati remain in the AAC race when it hosts Houston tonight at 7PM ET in conference action?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Cincinnati is favored at home, as the Bearcats are getting odds of -7.5 points against the Cougars. The over/under total for the game is listed at 134.5 points. Cincinnati has won nine of the last 10 against Houston, including a 67-58 win on the road on Jan. 7.
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Cincinnati is coming off a 53-49 loss at UCF this weekend to fall to 14-2 in the AAC, one game behind SMU. The Bearcats are 25-4 overall. They have failed to cover in four of their last five games to drop to 12-13-1 against the spread on the season. Cincy averages 75.3 points per game on offense while allowing just 61.1 on defense. When at home, the Bearcats jump their scoring average up to 84.7 points per game. Kyle Washington and Jacob Evans each average 13.6 points per game to lead the team. Washington is adding 7.2 rebounds per game.
Houston has won two straight and seven of its last eight games to move to 20-8 on the year and 11-5 in the AAC. The Cougars have been unable to cover the spread in their last three games, though, and sit at 11-13 against the spread on the season. Houston is averaging 74.9 points per game this year while allowing 64.6 on defense. On the road, the Cougars only amass 71.3 points per game while giving up 68.7. Rob Gray Jr. has been one of the top scorers in the country, averaging 20.3 points per game this season. Damyean Dotson is adding 18 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Cincinnati has bounced back nicely from losses this season. They have come back to win their next game by at least 14 points, including wins over Penn State and South Florida. While Houston is playing well, the Cougars are a two-man team. Cincinnati should be able to keep Gray and Dotson somewhat in check and the Cougars won’t get enough production from the rest of the team.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: CINCINNATI -7.5