The Dayton Flyers take on the Houston Cougars in Charleston, South Carolina. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Dayton Houston prediction and pick. Find how to watch Dayton Houston.

The championship game of the Charleston Classic is intriguing less because of the comparison between these two teams, and more because of what we might learn about the opponents these teams defeated to make the championship game. We might learn more about Utah and St. John's in this game than Houston or Dayton. There are reasons for thinking this, and it's worth having a discussion about it.

Dayton is without star guard Malachi Smith, who is out for the season with an injury suffered weeks ago. Dayton without Smith is very different from Dayton with Smith on the floor. If that point is established, we can then say that Dayton's semifinal win over St. John's in Charleston on Friday might have been more of a case of St. John's falling flat than Dayton being especially good. St. John's looks rough and ragged in its first season under head coach Rick Pitino, so it's not easy to assign a specific value or level of quality to that Dayton win. It's not a criticism of the Flyers, merely an indication of the reality that we don't know how good various teams are just two weeks into the season.

Houston beat Utah on Friday in a game which was generally close. Houston led by 10 points on a few occasions, but Utah generally kept that game within six to 10 points most of the way and didn't allow Houston to get too comfortable. Houston being Utah by a modest margin could be a really good result for the Cougars, but it could also show their weaknesses. We don't really know because we don't really know how good Utah is this season. That's why we are saying this Houston-Dayton game might show us more about other teams than about the Cougars and Flyers themselves.

Here are the Dayton-Houston College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Dayton-Houston Odds

Dayton Flyers: +12.5 (-115)

Houston Cougars: -12.5 (-105)

Over: 128.5 (-110)

Under: 128.5 (-110)

How To Watch Dayton vs Houston

Time: 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT

TV: ESPN

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Dayton Could Cover the Spread

The Flyers looked very strong in the second half of the St. John's game. Even though St. John's doesn't yet have the pieces it needs under Rick Pitino, Dayton — without Malachi Smith — was able to establish control at both ends of the floor. That has to be a source of great encouragement and hope for coach Anthony Grant, who is having to adjust on the fly to the Smith injury and has watched his team get better over the course of the weekend in Charleston. Dayton struggled in its opening-round game against LSU on Thursday but looked noticeably sharper in the semifinal versus St. John's. If Dayton continues to improve, it should be able to cover a double-digit spread against Houston.

Why Houston Could Cover the Spread

The Cougars withstood a challenge from Utah on Friday. Dayton, by comparison, should be easier for Houston to deal with because of the absence of Malachi Smith. Dayton is missing its best player. Houston, which consistently defends and rebounds well, should be able to bottle up Dayton's offense with Smith off the floor. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson had a day off on Saturday to talk with his team about its defensive habits and reactions. Getting that day off in the middle of this Charleston tournament should help the Cougars to be a lot more precise and polished in what they do on the court. That should enable them to cover the spread against Dayton.

Final Dayton-Houston Prediction & Pick

Houston has played better opposition than Dayton has this week in Charleston. Houston will be focused and ready to play defense at a high level. Take Houston.

Final Dayton-Houston Prediction & Pick: Houston -12.5