Houston looks to keep their lead in the Big 12 as they face Cincinnati. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Houston-Cincinnati prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Houston comes into the game sitting at 20-3 on the year, with all three losses coming in conference play. The first two losses came in their first three games in conference play, as they fell by four to Iowa State and then by one to TCU. After winning five more in a row, thye lost by 13 to Kansas on the road. Last time out, they faced Oklahoma State. It was a  dominating performance, as Houston led almost the entire game, and would win 79-63.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati is 15-7 on the year, while sitting 4-5 in conference play, good for ninth in the Big 12. They have lost three of their last five, but are coming off an upset win. Last time out, they were on the road facing Texas Tech. Texas Tech made it a five-point game with 12:48 left in the first half. From there, neither team would hold a lead larger than that, as the lead consistently changed hands. Still, Cincinnati would come out with the 75-72 win.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Houston-Cincinnati Odds

Houston: -5.5 (-106)

Moneyline: -225

Cincinnati: +5.5 (-114)

Moneyline: +184

Over: 127.5 (-115)

Under: 127.5 (-105)

How to Watch Houston vs. Cincinnati 

Time: 4:00 PM ET/ 1:00 PM PT

TV: ESPN2

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Houston Will Cover The Spread/Win

Houston is ranked first in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are ranked 19th in adjusted offensive efficiency, but first in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. Houston is 149th in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 214th in effective field goal percentage. LJ Cryer leads the way on offense this year. He is scoring 15.1 points per game this year while shooting 39.7 percent. He is helped out by Jamal Shead. Shead is averaging 12.5 points per game this year, while also having 5.8 assists per game this year, which leads the team. Rounding out the top scorers this year is Emanuel Sharp. He had 12.3 points per game this year, with 37.0 percent shooting this year.

Houston is 20th in the NCAA in rebounds per game this year. They are third in the nation in offensive rebounding this year, but 181st in defensive rebounding this year. This is led by J'Wan Roberts this year, with 7.0 rebounds per game this year. Meanwhile, Ja'Vier Francis comes in with 5.3 rebounds per game this year. Further, three other players come in with over four rebounds per game this year. One of those is Terrance Arceneaux, but he has not played since December 16th.

Houston is number one in the nation in points against per game. They are first in opponent field goal percentage this year while sitting 28th in blocks and fifth in steals. Jamal Shead comes in with 2.2 steals per game this year. Meanwhile, Emanuel Sharp has 1.4 steals per game, while three other guys have more than a steal per game this year. Further, Roberts has .9 blocks per game, while Francis has 1.2 per game this year.

Why Cincinnati Will Cover The Spread/Win

Cincinnati comes in ranked 32nd in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings. They are 68th in adjusted offensive efficiency but sit 17th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They are 74th in points per game this year, but sit 183rd in effective field goal percentage. Still, they are a high-volume shooting team, sitting 16th in the nation in field goal attempts per game this year. Dan Skillings Jr. leads the way in points, coming in with 12.1 points per game this year, while shooting 42.9 percent from the field. Further, Viktor Lahkin comes in with 11.7 points per game, while also shooting 50.5 percent from the field. Day Day Thomas leads the way in assists this year, coming in with 3.4 assists per game this year, while also scoring 10.8 points per game. Rounding out the top scorers is John Newman III, sitting with 10.0 points per game.

Cincinnati is sixth in the nation in rebounding this year, sitting 16th in the nation in defensive rebounding rate and 11th in offensive rebounding rate this year. This is led by Aziz Bandaogo. He comes in with 8.4 rebounds per game this year while also having 7.6 points per game of his own. Further, Lahkin and Skillings play a role here too. Lahkin comes in with 7.1 rebounds per game, while Skillings has 6.1 rebounds per game on the year.

Cincinnati is 47th in the nation in opponent points per game this year and 39th in opponent effective field goal percentage. A big help is the presence down low. Bandaogo comes in with 1.4 blocks per game, while Lakhin has 1.1 blocks per game. Further, John Newman III and Day Day Thomas both have over 1.5 steals per game.

Final Houston-Cincinnati Prediction & Pick

Houston has failed to cover in each of their last three games. That is after they covered three of four right before that. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has covered three of their last four games. They have also covered in each of their last four games as an underdog. While Houston has the better rebounding overall, Cincinnati will be able to keep it close due to their rebounding ability. Further, Cincinnati does have a solid defense. Still, Houston is the much better team and covers this one.

Click here for more betting news and predictions

Final Houston-Cincinnati Prediction & Pick:  Houston -5.5 (-106)