The Houston Cougars will be at Donald Reynolds Center to square off against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in an American Athletic Conference matchup. The game starts at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 7 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Golden Hurricane lost to Temple 83-79 on Thursday. Pat Birt was the game’s high scorer, putting up 22 points. The Cougars, meanwhile, are coming off a 71-68 win over SMU on Monday. Devonta Pollard led the game in scoring with 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Cougars winning the first matchup 81-66. Galen Robinson Jr. was a standout player in the game, producing 19 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three three-pointers.
The Golden Hurricane look to build on their records of 14-8 Straight Up (SU) and 10-9-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the Tulsa offense, which averages just 11.1 turnovers per game.
On the other side, the Cougars have 16-6 SU and 9-7-1 ATS records. Offensively, the Cougars have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 78.3 points per game after averaging only 68.8 during that stretch. The Cougars are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 39.6 rebounds per game. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Cougars allow very few three-pointers on defense with 5.0 given up per game.
With the Cougars’ last win against Tulsa, Houston moved closer to evening up its record against Tulsa. It now stands at 3-7 SU over their most recent meetings. At 5-5, they are even ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Houston held the edge in all three of these categories one time in the last five meetings. Tulsa never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou
Notes
Tulsa scores an average of just 73.2 points per game (ranked 144th). Houston ranks 97th in points allowed, giving up 68.9 points per game.
Houston averages 75.7 points per away game (ranked 45th). Tulsa allows 65.8 points per home game (ranked 81st).
The Houston Cougars rank 23rd for their offensive rating of 115.2. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane have a defensive rating of 98.4 (ranked 83rd).
Tulsa has an average field goal percentage of 43.5%. Houston is 4-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane average 21.0 three point attempts per game, and the Houston Cougars attempt 20.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Tulsa is 10-6 and Houston is 8-5.
Houston, the 46th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.6 rebounds per game. Tulsa does worse, ranked 238th with 35.4.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane make an average of 7.1 steals per game. When the Houston Cougars allow 7 or more steals, they are a winning 4-1.
