Houston Cougars (11-1) vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-4)
Game Info: Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 8:00 pm (Fertitta Center)
Betting Odds: Houston Cougars -12 -- Over/Under: 122.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Tulsa Golden Hurricane will travel to the Fertitta Center to take on the 8th ranked Houston Cougars this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane improved to 8-4 on the season after defeating the Memphis Tigers, 58-57, this past Sunday. Tulsa trailed by a 32-26 margin at halftime, however, the Golden Hurricane defense was outstanding in the 2nd half and was able to pull away after a 9-0 run gave Tulsa a 54-49 lead with 4:04 left in regulation. Tulsa shot 44.4% from the field and 18.8% from beyond the arc while Memphis shot 47.8% from the field and 26.7% from beyond the arc. Tulsa was outrebounded by Memphis by a 35-23 margin, however, won the turnover battle by a 21-14 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Golden Hurricane was Elijah Joiner who had 14 points, 5 rebounds, & 1 assist.
On the season, Tulsa is averaging 67.8 ppg on 45.1% shooting from the field. The Golden Hurricane are averaging 6.2 three-pointers per game on 28.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Tulsa has been led by Brandon Rachal (14.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.0 bpg), Elijah Joiner (9.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.8 apg), Rey Idowu (8.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg), & Darien Jackson (7.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg).
Defensively, Tulsa is holding their opponents to an average of 60.9 ppg on 37.4% shooting from the field. The Golden Hurricane have a rebound margin of -0.2 and a turnover margin of 1.9.
The 8th ranked Houston Cougars won their 4th straight game and improved to 11-1 on the season after defeating the UCF Knights, 71-50, this past Sunday. Houston dominated UCF on both ends of the court in the 1st half and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a commanding 45-19 lead. Houston shot 42.4% from the field and 32.0% from beyond the arc while UCF shot 43.8% from the field and 21.1% from beyond the arc. Houston was outrebounded by UCF by a 36-35 margin, however, won the turnover battle by a 20-9 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Cougars was Quentin Grimes who had 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, & 4 steals.
On the season, Houston is averaging 73.2 ppg on 41.0% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 7.8 three-pointers per game on 32.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Houston has been led by Quentin Grimes (17.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.4 spg), Marcus Sasser (15.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.1 spg), DeJon Jarreau (8.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.3 spg), & Tramon Mark (7.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 spg).
Defensively, Houston is holding their opponents to an average of 56.5 ppg on 37.1% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of 9.2 and a turnover margin of 4.2.
The Golden Hurricane are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 Wednesday games. The Cougars are 17-5 ATS in their last 22 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600 and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games.
Tulsa was able to hand Houston their only loss of the season and a defensive 65-64 victory at home in late December and have been led by their defense which ranks 16th in scoring defense & 7th in defensive FG%. This is a monster spread for Houston to cover, however, it’s going to be hard to image that the Cougars won’t come out sharp in this one and that their defense, which ranks 2nd in scoring defense & 4th in defensive FG%, won’t have success slowing down the Tulsa offense. Houston is a perfect 8-0 at home this season and as Tulsa is coming off a 19-point loss in their last road game at Wichita State, I think the play here is to take Houston to cover. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Houston Cougars -12
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05