This matchup between the Houston Cougars and Wyoming Cowboys will take place at Cox Pavilion. Action starts at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
The Cowboys lost to Marshall 90-82 on Monday. Josh Adams had a good game in defeat for Wyoming, recording 37 points and 10 rebounds to earn his first double-double of the season. The Cougars are coming off a 78-69 loss to Grand Canyon on Monday. Galen Robinson Jr. had a team-high 18 points.
The physical Wyoming offense might be getting to the charity stripe a lot in this one. It ranks 14th in the nation at getting to the line (FTA rate of 47.5), while Houston is among the nation’s most foul-prone teams (giving up a 298th-ranked FTA rate of 42.9). The Cougars should also expect to protect the ball well. They rank 24th at avoiding errors (TO% of 15.4%). Conversely, the Cowboys force the 60th-fewest turnovers in the nation (opponents’ TO% of 16.9%).
Wyoming is a five-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 142 points. The Cowboys come into this game 7-5 Straight Up (SU) and 4-4 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cowboys are a phenomenal shooting team from the line with 17.0 free throws made per game, one of the highest marks in Division I.
On the other side, the Cougars have records of 4-2 ATS and 8-2 SU. Houston is one of the top shooting teams in the country, making .484 of its shots from the floor. Houston is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Cougars average 13.6 offensive rebounds per game, making them the 44th-best team in the country for that category. Don’t expect Houston to give away the ball much on offense, where its 10.6 turnovers per game ranks 25th in the country.
This game will be the first meeting for Wyoming and Houston in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou, O/U – Over
Notes
Houston beats Wyoming in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Cougars average 68.8 possessions and 1.219 points per possession, while the Cowboys average 67.2 possessions with 1.102 points per possession.
Wyoming has an average effective field goal percentage of 56.1%. Houston is undefeated (1-0) when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Wyoming attempts 25.0 three pointers and Houston attempts 20.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Wyoming Cowboys are even at 5-5 while the Houston Cougars have a stellar 5-1 record.
Houston, the 85th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.5 per game. Wyoming does worse, ranked 264th with 2.7.
The Houston Cougars rank 44th in offensive rebounds. The Wyoming Cowboys rank 167th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 16.9% when playing Wyoming this season. Houston is undefeated (2-0) when its TO% is 16.9% or higher.
