College basketball wagering interest will be high on Saturday when the Blazers of UAB hit the hard court against the Cougars of Houston.

The Cougars bring a 12-6 record (4-5 ATS) to this tilt against the 8-11 Blazers, who are 4-12 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have witnessed Houston go 6-3 so far and the Blazers go 7-7.



View UAB vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as 1.5-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark, including Sportsbook. The total was set to open a bit later (check out Sportsbook for the latest situation(.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Cougars sit at No. 138 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Blazers sit at No. 98 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Cougars will win this game 81-74.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Blazers is ranked No. 53 in NCAA hoops at 38.3 per game. Contrast that with Houston’s No. 18 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Houston is the No. 167-ranked team in the country at 6.2 per game, while UAB rates No. 152 at 6.4 per game.

Defensively, UAB features the nation's No. 316-rated defense on the road, allowing 77.5 points per game. Houston, meanwhile, comes in at No. 25 nationally in scoring at home.

Last time out for UAB, they were a 91-85 loser as they battled East Carolina at home. They failed to cover in the match as a 5.5-point favorite. The Blazers got a 20-point effort from Rod Rucker, who added 12 rebounds, but East Carolina still managed to defeat UAB 91-85 Wednesday at Bartow Arena.

Houston lost its last outing, an 87-72 result against Tulsa on January 23. They failed to cover in that game as a 5-point favorite. The Cougars endured an 87-72 loss at the hands of the Golden Hurricane on Wednesday, despite a 16-point effort from Joseph Young at Hofheinz Pavilion.


UAB Blazers Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Texas El Paso are 5-5
After playing East Carolina are 6-4
After a loss are 4-6

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

A few Blazers at Cougars trends to consider:
UAB is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
UAB is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games
Houston is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games at home
Houston is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games when playing UAB


Next up:
UAB home to Texas El Paso, Wednesday, January 30
Houston at Rice, Wednesday, January 30