Bearcats vs. Cougars Prediction
The Cincinnati Bearcats and the 25th-ranked host Houston Cougars will battle for the shot to move into a first-place tie in the American Athletic Conference this afternoon. Will Houston get the job done on its home court?
Game Snapshot
815 Cincinnati Bearcats at 816 Houston Cougars
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Fertitta Center at 1PM ET
TV: ESPN
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, the Cougars are a 6.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 134 points. As of Sunday morning, 58 percent of public bets are siding with visiting Cincinnati. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for up-to-date info.
Bearcats down Shockers in regulation
Cincinnati earned a 67-64 victory last Sunday afternoon at home over Wichita State as its NCAA-record tying streak of four straight games decided in overtime ended. The Bearcats (18-9, 11-4 AAC) led 31-28 at halftime and held on in the second half when a half-court shot by the Shockers was missed at the buzzer. Jarron Cumberland led Cincinnati with 24 points on 3-of-11 shooting including 2-of-5 from 3-point distance plus 16-of-22 at the free throw line. He also recorded five rebounds and four assists. Jaevin Cumberland added nine points, four dimes and three boards off the bench.
Cougars edged by Tigers
Houston fell 60-59 eight days ago at hom versus Memphis as it gave up the go-ahead free throws with 28.2 seconds remaining. The Cougars (21-7, 11-4) outscored the Tigers 36-33 in the second half but ultimately could not carve out the win. Malcolm Dandridge paced a balanced scoring attack for Houston with 12 points off the bench on 5-of-5 shooting plus 2-of-3 at the charity stripe. He also accounted for three steals, two rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Precious Achiuwa tallied 10 points, six boards and two steals. Lester Quinones tallied 10 points and three caroms. Tyler Harris added 10 points and four rebounds as a reserve.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Cincinnati
The underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings. The road team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
Houston
The Cougars are 37-25 ATS in their last 62 games overall. Houston is 38-18 ATS in home games since 1997 after allowing 60 or less points in the previous game.
Prediction:
The Cougars were edged by a 64-62 mark when these two squads met at Cincinnati a month ago and coupled with Houston being salty for a week about dropping the contest against Memphis, I like the hosts to dice up the Bearcats this afternoon. The Cougars are solid on both ends of the court, while Cincinnati is less efficient offensively and does not have a lockdown defense like it had a couple years ago. I’m giving the points and betting on Houston to roll.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: HOUSTON COUGARS -6.5