The South Florida Bulls will be at Hofheinz Pavilion to square off against the Houston Cougars in an American Athletic Conference matchup. The game begins at 4:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23 and can be seen on CCS.
The Cougars are hoping for a better outcome after their 77-73 loss to SMU on Tuesday. Damyean Dotson was the team’s leading scorer, recording 16 points. The Bulls, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 64-54 loss to UCF on Wednesday. Chris Perry had a team-high 18 points.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Cougars won the first game 73-67. Perry had a double-double in the loss with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Houston is a substantial 17-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 134 points. The Cougars enter the game with records of 13-5 Straight Up (SU) and 7-6 Against The Spread (ATS). Houston is known to control the offensive glass, where it racks up an impressive 14.6 offensive rebounds per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Cougars have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 5.0 three-pointers made per game. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the Houston offense, which averages just 11.1 turnovers per game.
On the other side, South Florida has a SU record of 3-17 and an ATS record of 7-8. They average 5.7 blocks per game, good for 13th in the nation.
Houston beat South Florida in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record to 8-2 over South Florida in their most recent meetings. With a 6-4 record, the Cougars also have the advantage ATS. Houston held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while South Florida was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou, O/U – Over
Notes
Houston is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games.
Houston is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston’s last 6 games when playing South Florida.
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing South Florida.
Houston has a split record against its conference, 3-3, while South Florida has yet to win a game against another conference rival (0-7).
South Florida averages 62.6 points per game, placing the team just 340th in the nation. Houston ranks 98th in points allowed, giving up 67.6 points per game.
Ranked 24th, the Houston Cougars have an offensive rating of 115.9. The South Florida Bulls rank 261st with a defensive rating of just 106.6.
The Houston Cougars average a field goal percentage of 45.9% this season. The South Florida Bulls are a winless 0-5 when opponents have a FG% of 45.9% or greater.
The Houston Cougars and the South Florida Bulls both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Houston is 112th and 90th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while South Florida ranks 331st and 306th in these categories.
South Florida, the 13th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.7 per game. Houston ranks lower at 101st with 4.1.
Houston is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking 11th. South Florida ranks just 123rd in defensive rebounds.
South Florida makes an average of 4.4 steals per game. Houston has a solid 10-4 record when it allows at least 4 steals.
