The Houston Cougars (13-2) and the American Athletic Conference’s fourth-ranked offense head to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats (12-5) and the fifth-ranked defense in the conference. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 13 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Bearcats enter this game hoping for similar success after edging South Florida 54-51 on Sunday. Troy Caupain was the team’s leading scorer with 14 points on 5-for-14 shooting. The Cougars, meanwhile, are coming off a 63-45 win against Tulane on Tuesday. Rob Gray Jr. was the game’s top scorer, accounting for 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting.
It will be a showdown of two heavyweights, as the productive offense of the Houston Cougars (14th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 118.4) takes the court against the elite defense of the Bearcats (16th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 92.0).
The Bearcats come into this game 12-5 Straight Up (SU) and 5-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Cincinnati in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 13.6 offensive boards per game. Cincinnati is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.38. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Bearcats, ranking 26th in the country in blocks per game with 5.5.
As for their opponent, the Houston Cougars have records of 6-4 ATS and 13-2 SU. The Cougars have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 13.9 offensive rebounds per game, 20th in the country. Taking care of the basketball is something the Cougars do very well, averaging just 10.7 turnovers per game.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between the conference foes. Their previous game was a Bearcats victory, bumping their SU record to 7-0 over Houston. The Cougars lead the matchup ATS with a record of 4-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cin, ATS Winner – Cin
Notes
Cincinnati is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cincinnati’s last 8 games.
Cincinnati is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games at home.
Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston.
Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston.
Houston won its last game by an 18-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Cincinnati is 6-0. Houston is 5-0 in blowouts this season.
The Houston Cougars rank 14th for their offensive rating of 118.4. The Cincinnati Bearcats have a defensive rating of 92.0 (ranked 16th).
Cincinnati has an average field goal percentage of 44.4%. Houston is a losing 1-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Cincinnati Bearcats rank lower for their field goal percentage (152nd) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (127th), but the Houston Cougars have a better FG% ranking (48th) than eFG% ranking (79th).
Cincinnati ranks 53rd in assists, registering 16.2 per game. Houston performs worse at 168th with 13.7 assists per game.
Cincinnati ranks 26th in blocks per game with 5.5 and Houston ranks 81st with 4.4 blocks per game.
Cincinnati ranks 29th in offensive rebounding. Houston ranks 117th in defensive rebounding.
The Cincinnati Bearcats make an average of 8.5 steals per game, ranked 25th in the nation. When the Houston Cougars allow 8 or more steals, they are undefeated (2-0).
