Earning a win and covering the posted spread will be the goals for Central Florida when they take on the Houston Cougars on Saturday in college hoops betting action.

The Cougars currently sports a 12-4 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 4-3 ATS. The Knights are 11-5 and 5-5 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Cougars produce a 4-3 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Knights have gone 1-4 against the number.



View Central Florida vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you were backing the visitors in this one, the Knights were listed as 2.5-point favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Cougars sit at No. 132 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Knights sit at No. 99 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Cougars will win this game 80-78.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Houston's No. 25 nationally ranked offense (78 points per game) against a Knights defense that sits as the No. 124 at 64.2 PPG. The Cougars have been averaging 45.5% from the field, less than the Knights have managed so far this season (49.5% on average).

Defensively, Central Florida features the nation's No. 241-rated defense on the road, allowing 73.5 points per game. Houston, meanwhile, comes in at No. 21 nationally in scoring at home.

Central Florida lost its last outing, an 88-85 result against East Carolina on January 12. They failed to cover in that game as a 1-point underdog. The Knights got a huge 36-point effort from Keith Clanton but still lost 88-85 against East Carolina on Saturday at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

Houston lost its last outing, an 89-78 result against East Carolina on January 16. They failed to cover in that game as a 6-point underdog. Danuel House scored 22 points in a futile effort to lead the Cougars to a win (they lost 89-78 to East Carolina at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Wednesday).


Central Florida Knights Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Rice are 3-7
After playing East Carolina are 3-7
After a loss are 7-3

Houston Cougars Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Tulsa are 7-3
After playing East Carolina are 4-6
After a loss are 4-6

A few Knights at Cougars trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Central Florida's last 7 games when playing on the road against Houston
Central Florida is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Central Florida is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Central Florida is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Central Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games when playing at home against Central Florida
Houston is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing Central Florida


Next up:
Central Florida home to Rice, Wednesday, January 23
Houston home to Tulsa, Wednesday, January 23