Cincinnati at Houston: 2/21/21 College Basketball Picks and Prediction

Defensively, Cincinnati is allowing their opponents to average 70.1 ppg on 43.6% shooting from the field. The Bearcats have a rebound margin of 2.9 and a turnover margin of -1.3.

The 6th ranked Houston Cougars had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 17-3 on the season after being defeated by the Wichita State Shockers, 68-63, this past Thursday. Houston got off to a solid start against Wichita State, taking a 30-19 lead with 4:28 left in the 1st half, however, the Cougars struggled offensively the rest of the way and could not fight back after the Shockers took a 62-54 lead with 3:00 minutes left in regulation. Houston shot 42.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc while Wichita State shot 40.8% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. Houston was outrebounded by Wichita State by a 35-33 margin and committed 10 turnovers in the loss. Leading the way for the Cougars was Dejon Jarreau who had 16 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Houston is averaging 75.8 ppg on 43.0% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 8.8 three-pointers per game on 34.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Houston has been led by Quentin Grimes (16.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.2 spg), Marcus Sasser (14.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.5 spg), DeJon Jarreau (10.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.3 spg), & Justin Gorham (8.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.0 spg).

Defensively, Houston is holding their opponents to an average of 57.9 ppg on 36.7% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of 9.5 and a turnover margin of 3.5.

The Bearcats are 16-35-1 ATS in their last 52 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600 and just 16-40 ATS in their last 56 games overall. The Cougars are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall.

Cincinnati continues to pull out close games however, it is going to be a tall task for the Bearcats to pick up a win at Houston as the Cougars are a perfect 11-0 at home with their last win being an impressive 22-point victory over a very good SMU team. Cincinnati is not a great offensive team as they come into this game ranked just 243rd in scoring offense & 327th in 3P-FG%, and between the fact that I think the Houston defense keeps the Bearcats offense limited to about 50 points and that Houston bounces back with a big performance after a tough loss at Wichita State, I think the Cougars do enough in this one to cover this large spread. Good Luck!