The Houston Cougars take on the Tulane Green Wave. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Houston Tulane prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Houston Tulane.
The Houston Cougars are the No. 1 team in the United States. They are coming off a performance which did not look like a No. 1 team. They beat South Florida 83-77 in a shaky defensive effort. Houston is fully aware of the reality that as a No. 1 team, it will get the best shot of every opponent it plays. The Cougars know they have to be ready for opposing teams' best game plans, best shooters, and best performances. Most of the time, the Cougars are waiting to land a roundhouse punch, but every three or four games, they relent and allow an inferior opponent to stick around. South Florida is the most recent example. The Bulls are not a good offensive team, but they posted 77 points against the Cougars, a display coach Kelvin Sampson clearly regards as unacceptable. A few weeks ago, Houston played another one of its shaky games but managed to beat UCF by six points. Every now and then, Houston lets down its guard — not enough to lose, but enough to raise concerns about how the Cougars will fare in March, when every team is a good team and the intensity of an opponent is elevated. Houston has to become more consistent in taking an opponent's best shot.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Houston-Tulane College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Houston-Tulane Odds
Houston Cougars: -11.5 (-105)
Tulane Green Wave: +11.5 (-115)
Over: 145.5 (-114)
Under: 145.5 (-106)
How To Watch Houston vs. Tulane
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Houston-Tulane LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Houston Could Cover the Spread
This Houston team has a very high ceiling. The Cougars don't always reach that ceiling, but they do most of the time, every two of three games or every three out of five. They would like to obviously increase the percentage of games in which they play their best. If they had a lull once out of every six games instead of once out of every four, that would rate as a real improvement. Nonetheless, when they do play well — and that's most of the time — they're extremely hard to handle. Yes, Houston beat UCF and South Florida by only six points apiece, but in Houston's last five games, the other three were really strong. Houston beat Cincinnati by 13 on the road in a game which wasn't nearly that close. Houston beat Tulsa by 39 and SMU by 34. This team is an absolute wrecking ball when it is locked in on defense. After the shaky outing against South Florida, you know Kelvin Sampson will have his team ready to play a great defensive game against Tulane. If it does do that, it should blow the doors off the Green Wave.
Why Tulane Could Cover the Spread
The Green Wave are a surprising 5-1 in the AAC, in second place behind Houston. This game is therefore for the lead in the AAC standings. Who would have thought that before the season began? This is an amazing college sports cycle for Tulane Athletics. The Green Wave won the AAC championship in football and upset USC in the Cotton Bowl. Now the basketball team is picking up serious momentum with five straight wins in the conference. Tulane knows how to score. The Green Wave have scored 87 or more points in four of their last five games, and at least 77 points in all of their last five games. Houston clearly struggled on defense against South Florida. If UH is not sharp on defense, Tulane will make Houston pay, and the point spread is already very large. Tulane can cover it.
Final Houston-Tulane Prediction & Pick
The spread is large, but if you accept that Houston is likely to play a good defensive game, Houston is definitely 15 to 20 points better than Tulane on the road. Take Houston.
Final Houston-Tulane Prediction & Pick: Houston -11.5
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