The Houston Cougars (13-4) visit SMU to play the No. 8-ranked Mustangs (17-0) in a game that has the potential to be high-scoring. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Mustangs were victorious over Tulane 60-45 on Sunday. Jordan Tolbert had 12 points, nine rebounds, and six steals for SMU. The Cougars, meanwhile, are coming off a 69-57 loss to Connecticut on Sunday. Galen Robinson Jr. posted 10 points, three rebounds, and two steals.
This matchup figures to be a high-scoring affair as SMU ranks third in the nation in offensive efficiency (122.9), while Houston is 27th (115.4). Also, the Cougars’s 27th-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 115.4) will face off against the 18th-ranked defense of the Mustangs (defensive efficiency of 92.9).
SMU is a heavy 13-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 142 points. The Mustangs enter the game with records of 17-0 Straight Up (SU) and 6-7 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams have a tough time keeping SMU off of the offensive glass. They rank 35th in Division I in offensive rebounds. The Mustangs, sporting the 26th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.49), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. As for the SMU defense, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Mustangs, who allow only 60.5 points per home game.
Across the court, Houston has a SU record of 13-4 and an ATS record of 6-6. During the last 10 games, they averaged 72.2 PPG, below their 78.7 PPG season average. Houston is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Cougars average 14.1 offensive rebounds per game, making them the 19th-best team in the country for that category. Switching gears to the Houston defense, teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Cougars, who are 29th in the country in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 98 this season. Houston has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 11.0 per game.
These conference rivals will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Mustangs were winners, bringing their SU record to 6-4 over Houston in the most recent games. However, with a 6-4 record, Houston has the advantage ATS. SMU and Houston each held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once in their last five meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou, O/U – Under
Notes
Southern Methodist is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Southern Methodist’s last 5 games.
Southern Methodist is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Southern Methodist is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Houston.
Southern Methodist is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games when playing Houston.
SMU is a perfect 6-0 SU against its conference, while Houston sits at 3-2 SU.
Houston averages 78.7 points per game this season. SMU is one of the best teams in points allowed, giving up just 61.2 points per game (ranked 11th).
Houston scores just 72.0 points per away game (ranked 122nd). SMU ranks 37th in points allowed at home, giving up 60.5 points.
Ranked 18th, the SMU Mustangs have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 92.9 points per 100 possessions. The Houston Cougars rank 27th in offense, scoring 115.4 points in the same number of possessions.
Houston has an average field goal percentage of 45.8%. SMU is undefeated (2-0) when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The SMU Mustangs and the Houston Cougars both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. SMU is eighth and fourth in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Houston ranks 110th and 93rd in these categories.
Ranked 10th in the nation, SMU has an average of 18.4 assists per game. Houston ranks lower at 190th with 13.2.
SMU ranks 65th in blocks per game with 4.6 and Houston ranks 99th with 4.2 blocks per game.
SMU ranks 35th in offensive rebounding. Houston ranks 156th in defensive rebounding.
Houston makes 6.8 steals per game. In games where it allows 6 or more steals, SMU is undefeated at 14-0.
