Tulane Green Wave vs. Houston Cougars: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 2/22/2023

Time: 9 p.m. ET

Venue: Fertitta Center, Houston, TX

Where to watch: ESPNU

DraftKings: Houston -14.5

FanDuel: Houston -14.5

BetMGM: Houston -14.5

Caesars: Houston -14.5

Tulane: 17-7 (10-3 AAC)

No. 1 Houston: 25-2 (13-1 AAC)

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Another week, another team now number one in the top 25 poll. And then of course who else would it be then the Houston Cougars for what I believe is the third time this year that they have reached the top spot in the top 25. And it would make a lot of sense considering Houston has won seven in a row and is playing like a number one team while also taking care of business against said teams. But Houston will have a very interesting task coming up on Wednesday when the Tulane Green Wave come to Fertitta Center and try to pull off the upset.

 

I wouldn't say that it's probably the most likely thing to happen but this Tulane team is coming to Houston as winners of five in a row and has reeled off victories over Cincinnati, Memphis, and Wichita state. They're not the best teams in the AAC but at the very least those are wins that you can hang your hat on as we inch closer to conference tournament time period but this is more about Houston than anything else and the more I see of this team just continuing to find ways to win and do it in a myriad of ways, it is really awesome to watch.

 

I, like many others, really did not take this stretch from Houston very seriously when they lost to Temple about a month and a half ago. Since then, they have reeled off seven straight victories, have gotten revenge against Temple, and our on the precipice of going into the NCAA tournament as the number one seed in the entire nation. And if that's the case, who knows what can happen?

 

Marcus Sasser had a game high 20 points, as did J’Wan Roberts on 6 of 10 shooting, as Houston shot just 45% and was held to just three of 17 from the three-point range to get the victory. Defensively they held Memphis to just 44% shooting and it also helped that Houston made eleven more free throws than Memphis. But it was another way of showing that Houston can hang with literally anybody and that is the best part for this group right now.

 

“The makeup of this team is winners,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “These kids know how to win. … Do they look great every night? I never thought it was a beauty contest. Last time I checked, you don’t put an asterisk beside anything. Just go win the game. Can we play better? Absolutely. That wasn’t our A-game tonight for sure.”

 

Considering the fact that in the previous six games Houston played its ‘A’ game, one off night against a really good Memphis team is not going to hurt anybody. It is truly something special to watch when Houston is clicking on all cylinders like that and I'm not sure if it's going to be sustainable when you run into some of the other top teams like Alabama or maybe Marquette or anyone else in the Big East. We're going to have to see how that plays out in terms of where Houston fits in the overall scheme of being a championship contender, but the fact that they are still finding ways to win both at home and on the road shows me that they are very much capable of winning it all and the fact that they were able to win against Memphis despite not shooting the ball very well, I can't wait to see what they do in the conference tournament and beyond.

 

I don't think there's really much to think about with this one period I know that the Green Wave have been very impressive and they should be getting a little bit more consideration considering they score about 82 points per game. But Houston's defense has yet to be cracked and it has yet to be shown in a light where it can be exploited. I don't see that happening here. Houston 82, Tulane 65

Tulane is 32-18 ATS against conference opponents the last 3 seasons.

Tulane is 6-0 ATS after a road game this season.

Houston is 30-14 ATS off a home win the last 3 seasons.

Houston is 32-15 ATS after playing a home game the last 3 seasons.

PG: Jalen Cook

SG: Jaylen Forbes

SF: Sion James

PF: Tylan Pope

C: Kevin Cross

PG: Jamal Shead

SG: Marcus Sasser

SF: Tramon Mark

PF: J'Wan Roberts

C: Jarace Walker