The Houston Cougars (5-0) are off to a hot start and will try to stay unbeaten when they take on the Rhode Island Rams (5-3) at Thomas M. Ryan Center. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
The Rams lost a winnable game to Providence 74-72 on Saturday. Jared Terrell finished with 19 points to lead the team. The Cougars, meanwhile, are coming off a 93-78 win over Murray State on Wednesday. Rob Gray Jr. shot 10 for 15 and led in scoring with 26 points.
Rhode Island is a seven-point favorite against Houston and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is set at 144 points. The Rams are looking to build on their records of 5-3 Straight Up (SU) and 2-4 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Rams, who have allowed only 4.0 three-pointers to opponents per game.
As for their opponent, the Cougars have come out of the gate playing well with records of 5-0 SU and 2-0 ATS. Houston is one of the top shooting teams in the country, converting .524 of its shots from the floor. The Cougars rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 33rd-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.49. Moving on to the Houston defense, the Cougars allow very few three-pointers on defense with 5.0 given up per game.
This game marks the first time Rhode Island and Houston have played one another in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou, O/U – Over
Notes
Rhode Island is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games.
The Houston Cougars have a defensive rating of 94.5 (ranked 68th), while the Rhode Island Rams have an offensive rating of 105.3 (ranked 183rd).
Houston beats Rhode Island in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Cougars average 70.1 possessions and 1.295 points per possession, while the Rams average 65.3 possessions with 1.053 points per possession.
Ranked seventh in the nation, Houston has an average effective field goal percentage of 58.7%. Rhode Island has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-1).
The Rhode Island Rams attempt 16.0 three pointers per game, and the Houston Cougars attempt 21.0 on average. When attempting at least 20 three pointers this season, Rhode Island has a split record (1-1) and Houston has an undefeated record (3-0).
Houston ranks 33rd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.49. Rhode Island is ranked lower at 290th with an A/TO of .82.
Houston, the 83rd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.0 rebounds per game. Rhode Island does worse, ranked 248th with 35.2.
Rhode Island makes 7.0 steals per game. In games where it gives up 7 or more steals, Houston is undefeated at 1-0.
