Cincinnati vs Houston Betting: Cougars Back at No. 1
Bearcats Have Thrived in Underdog Role
The Cincinnati Bearcats visit the No. 1 Houston Cougars on Tuesday. The Bearcats (16-11) have lost four of their last five games and are seeing its slim hopes of an at-large bid falling by the wayside. The Cougars (24-3) have won five straight and reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the polls on Monday. Things have been tough in the Big 12 for the Bearcats, who sport a 5-1-1 ATS record as an underdog this season. But the Cougars are 9-4-2 against the spread at home. The Cincinnati vs Houston betting odds show the Cougars are favored by 13.5 points. The total on the game is 132.5.
Bearcats vs Cougars 
Location: Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas
Day/Time:
Streaming: ESPN2
Bearcats Bring the Defense
The one thing Cincinnati does best is play defense. The Bearcats are No. 5 in the Big 12 in the KenPom defensive efficiency ratings. Cincinnati doesn’t have any real weaknesses defensively, limiting teams to 48.3% shooting on 2-pointers and 34.4% on 3-pointers in conference play.
The Bearcats can force some turnovers and keep teams from hitting the offensive glass. Cincinnati is No. 3 in the conference in blocked shots and don’t send teams to the foul line often.
But it’s a different story offensively for the Bearcats, who are No. 12 in conference games. Cincinnati doesn’t shoot the ball well and makes far too many turnovers. The Bearcats are best in the conference at grabbing offensive rebounds. Cincinnati’s 3-point shooting is last in Big 12 games at 30.1%. The Bearcats don’t get to the foul line often, but that’s a good thing, as they’re last in the Big 12 in free throw percentage.
The Cincinnati vs Houston betting trends show the Bearcats are 12-14-1 against the spread this season. They’ve played better after a conference loss, going 6-2 ATS and as an underdog. The Bearcats are 13-14 in totals on the season and 5-9 in conference games. Cincinnati is 6-11 when playing a team with a winning record, which includes Houston’s 67-62 road win on Feb. 10.
Houston Turning Up the Offense
The Cougars are known for their defense, which is probably the best in the country. But the offense is pretty solid too. Houston is No. 1 in the Big 12 in both offensive and defensive efficiency ratings. The Cougars don’t necessarily shoot the ball well. But Houston makes the fewest turnovers in the conference and is No. 2 in offensive rebounds.
The Cougars can overcome their lack of a high field goal percentage by getting more shots than opponents. It’s hard to argue with their success so far this season. Houston shoots 33.4% on 3-pointers, which is No. 7 in conference.
On defense, the Cougars are tough. Houston is No. 1 in 2-point field goal percentage, holding teams to 45.5% and is No. 3 in 3-point defense. The Cougars are second in forced turnovers and a little better than average preventing offensive rebounds.
Houston’s attacking style does get it into foul trouble at times. Opposing teams are scoring 22.8% of their points from the foul line, which is the highest percentage in the Big 12. But the Cougars aren’t going to change what works.
Houston is 12-15 in totals on the season, but 9-5 in Big 12 games. The Cougars have gone over the number in four straight games, with the last under coming against the Bearcats. The sportsbooks are pretty dialed in on Houston. The Cougars are 13-11-3 with one of those pushes occurring in the first meeting between the two teams.
What to Expect
This is one of the games on the college basketball schedule where you can get a decent read on the style of the game. The Cougars will play their standard deliberate style, while the Bearcats look to play a little quicker. The tempo was a little bit slower than expected in the first meeting and both teams shot poorly. But the Cougars had a 17-9 edge in offensive rebounds, which turned out to be the difference in the game.
Who to Bet On?
The Cincinnati vs Houston betting odds of Houston -13.5 make this a tough game to use for one of your college basketball picks. The number might be a shade on the high side. The Bearcats have been able to play teams close for most of the season. But Houston’s defense can shut anybody down and it has a strong home ATS record
The total is also a bit tricky. The number is low, but it has to be with two solid defensive teams squaring off. It’s far more likely a team has an off night offensively than defensively. Neither team shot 40% from the field in the first meeting. But they did make a higher percentage of free throws than normal.
Looking at the game from a value standpoint to use for one of your NCAAB bets, the under 132.5 is probably the side to be on. The teams scored 18 points in the final 2:36 of the first meeting, with the Bearcats fouling at the end. Houston should be up enough to prevent that from happening again.
Bearcats vs Cougars Game Odds
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