The No. 9 Houston Cougars wrap up their final multi-game road swing as they visit the Devlin Fieldhouse to tip off against the Tulane Green Wave. This game features two teams in the completely opposite ends of the spectrum as Houston eyes a ninth straight win, while Tulane looks to snap its 13-game losing slide. The Cougars have won three of the last four meetings with the Green Wave and are an 18-point favorite today with the total Sportsbook at 140 points.
- Houston is 9-0 SU and 6-3 ATS in its last nine games.
- Tulane is 0-13 SU and 5-8 ATS in its last 12 games.
- Houston allows the fifth-fewest points per game in the nation this season. (60.8)
Cougars’ Defense continues to shut down opponents
Houston dropped the third game of AAC play, falling at Temple 73-69 for its only loss so far on the year. Since then, Houston has picked up nine straight wins, including five consecutive road triumphs. Most recently, it earned a 71-63 at the XL Center vs UConn which is not an easy place to win in.
The offense has been fairly decent for the Cougars this year as they have the 98th-rated offense with 75 points per game which falls to 71.4 ppg on the road. They get a large portion of their scoring from beyond the arc at 35.5 percent of their total offense coming from downtown, which rises to 38.9 percent in away games. However, they only shoot 34.6 percent from long range which ranks 152nd.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, Houston is surrendering the fifth-fewest points per game in the nation at 60.8 which slightly increases to 62.8 ppg in away games. It does rank 133 in fewest shots against per game at 56.5 and it restricts its opponents to an overall shooting percentage of 36.5 ranking second in college basketball. Most notably, the Cougars hold their foes to a 27.2 shooting percentage from three-point range which is the third-lowest percentage.
Tulane can’t stop teams from scoring
It has been tough sledding for Tulane this season, failing to pick up an AAC victory thus far and has dropped 13 consecutive games overall. The Green Wave opened up this two-game homestand with a crushing defeat at the hands of Tulsa, getting thumped 80-57 and things don’t get any easier with the Cougars paying a visit.
Filling the bucket has been an issue for the Green Wave as they average just 66.3 points per game which is the 52nd-fewest in college basketball but that jumps to 69.9 ppg at home. They have a slower pace of play leading to just 56.1 shots per game which ranks 248th and only shoot 41.2 percent on those attempts ranking 301st. Additionally, they rank hit just 30.8 percent of their three-point attempts which is the 34th-worst percentage.
Keeping points off the board hasn’t been easy for Tulane as it gives up 75.6 points per game which ranks 257th. It averages 15.2 turnovers per game which are the 36th-most in the NCAA and that leads to surrendering the 22nd-most shots against per game. However, it does a decent job at defending those attempts with its opponents shooting just 43.5 percent overall ranking 133rd.
Is an UNDER in store for today’s game?
We have a top-rated defense collided with one of the worst offenses in the nation and Sportsbook has today’s total Sportsbook at 140 points. Tulane has gone UNDER in four straight games with no game topping 140 points. Meanwhile, Houston has split its last six totals going OVER in three and UNDER in three and those scores also split the 140 mark.
I don’t really see a way that Tulane is going to put up much of a challenge offensively to hit an OVER, it’s more of can it slow down Houston enough that it doesn’t carry the OVER? I think the Cougars may slow the pace of play down a little bit and that will help the UNDER hit today.
My take on Houston vs Tulane
I like Houston to cover the 18-point spread. Over Tulane’s 13-game losing slide, it has had an average losing margin of 14.38 and has lost by 18 or more points in five of those contests. This is just a mismatch of epic proportions as Houston allows the fifth-fewest points per game, while Tulane scores the 52nd-fewest points per game.
The Green Wave rank 301st in college basketball with an overall shooting percentage of 41.2 and the Cougars rank seventh in the nation limiting their opponents to an overall shooting percentage of 43.3. Lastly, Tulane allow the 22nd-most shot attempts against per game mostly due to it averaging 15.2 turnovers per game.
