The Houston Cougars (21-8) and the American Athletic Conference’s third-ranked offense welcome the Cincinnati Bearcats (21-8) and the top-ranked defense in the conference. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 3 and will air on CCS.
The Cougars come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, beating Connecticut 75-68 on Sunday. Damyean Dotson played a pivotal role, recording his sixth double-double this season with 22 points and 14 rebounds. The Bearcats, meanwhile, are coming off a 65-56 win against East Carolina on Saturday. Troy Caupain led the game in scoring with 27 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Dotson has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Cougars. During that stretch, he has averaged 18.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.8 three-pointers.
The game should be a battle of strength against strength, as the high-octane offense of Houston (12th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 116.6) takes on the stingy defense of Cincinnati (third in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 92.2).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Bearcats winning the first matchup 70-59. Gary Clark had a stellar game with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals, one block, and one three-pointer.
The Cougars are hoping to build on their records of 21-8 Straight Up (SU) and 14-9-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cougars have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 72.0 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 78.5 points per game. Teams have a tough time keeping Houston off of the offensive glass. They rank 29th in Division I in offensive rebounds. The Houston defense has been shutting down opposing offenses over the past 10 games, only allowing an average of 62.1 points per game, well under their season average of 69.2. Houston’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation, allowing just 6.0 three-pointers per game.
Across the court, the Bearcats have records of 13-14-1 ATS and 21-8 SU. Cincinnati has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-2-1. Cincinnati has been playing better lately, averaging 80.3 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 73.4. The Bearcats have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 13.1 offensive rebounds per game, 30th in the country. The Bearcats rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 32nd-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.43. The Cincinnati defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, averaging a Division I-best 59.1 points allowed per road game. When it comes to defending the rim, the Bearcats are one of the best in the nation with an average of 5.7 blocks per game.
Cincinnati beat Houston in their most recent meeting this season, moving its SU record against Houston to 8-0 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 4-4. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cin, ATS Winner – Cin
Notes
Houston averages 78.5 points per game this season. Cincinnati is one of the best teams in points allowed, giving up just 61.5 points per game (ranked eighth).
Houston averages 79.9 points per home game this season. However, Cincinnati is the top-ranked team in points allowed on the road, giving up just 59.1 points per game.
Ranked 72nd, the Cincinnati Bearcats have an offensive rating of 110.8. The Houston Cougars rank 127th with a defensive rating of just 102.9.
The Cincinnati Bearcats average a field goal percentage of 43.7% this season. The Houston Cougars have split their games this season (6-6) when opponents have a FG% of 43.7% or greater.
The Houston Cougars rank higher based on their field goal percentage (43rd) than their effective field goal percentage (70th). The Cincinnati Bearcats rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (182nd) than their field goal percentage (197th).
Cincinnati ranks 35th in assists, recording 16.0 per game. Houston performs worse at 192nd with 13.3 assists per game.
Cincinnati, the 10th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.7 per game. Houston ranks lower at 127th with 3.8.
Houston ranks 29th in offensive rebounding. Cincinnati ranks 133rd in defensive rebounding.
The Cincinnati Bearcats rank 20th in steals this season, with an average of 8.1 per game. When the Houston Cougars give up at least 8 steals, they have a winning 2-1 record.
