College Basketball Betting Picks & Predictions: Texas Southern vs. Houston (Wednesday)
While yesterday’s Champions Classic featured three teams ranked in the top seven in the AP poll yesterday, the fact that those games were played on a neutral court takes aways some of the luster of the event. There is no such neutral court environment in tonight’s marquee matchup, as the No. 11 Texas Longhorns host the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs in what should be a raucous environment. Here’s a closer look at Texas Southern vs. Houston.
Here are our best bets for Wednesday’s college basketball action. (Odds courtesy of DraftKings)
College Basketball Betting Picks & Predictions: Texas Southern vs. Houston
Kelvin Sampson’s Houston team is arguably the best defensive team in the country, and it has throttled its first three opponents, allowing just 45.3 points per game. However, it is not like the Cougars have played cupcakes, as Oral Roberts is the favorite to win its conference, and they held Saint Joseph’s to 29.6% shooting from the field.
The Cougars play at the 348th slowest tempo in the country, and rank in the top three in adjusted defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage defense, 2-point percentage defense, and block percentage. Meanwhile, Johnny Jones’ Texas Southern squad has made less than 40% of its shots inside the arc (39.6% ranks 322nd in the country). Thus, scoring will be an issue for a team that gets 25.8% of its points (ranks 334th in the country) from beyond the arc.
The Under is 5-1 in Houston’s last six games, and has cashed in nine of its last 11 home games. We expect that trend to continue tonight, largely because of its ability to clamp down on the Texas Southern offense.
Bet: Texas Southern Team Total Under 51.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.