USF Bulls vs Houston Cougars Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/18/2022

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Venue:  Fertitta Center, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  USF NL, Houston NL; Over/Under:  NL points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  USF +19.5, Houston -19.5; Over/Under:  125.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  USF NL, Houston NL; Over/Under:  NL points

 

USF Bulls:  6-10 (9th place, AAC)

Houston Cougars:  15-2 (1st place, AAC)

 

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Ben Burns is on a RUN of 11-0 (10*) CBB SIDES! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

 

USF Bulls:  1-4 last 5

Houston Cougars:  5-0 last 5

 

 

 

USF is coming into this game with a 6-10 record overall and they are 1-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 5th conference matchup of the year and they are currently 1-3 in their conference games this season. They have lost 4 of their last 5 games but are coming into this one off of a win in their last game which snapped a 4 game losing streak that they were on. Their 4 losses in that span were against the Wyoming Cowboys, the Houston Cougars, the Tulane Green Wave, and the SMU Mustangs while their win came against the UCF Knights in their last game. Javon Greene led the team in points in that game with 19 while Caleb Murphy was next on the team with 13 points. Murphy and Sam Hines Jr. off the bench both led the team in assists in that game with 3 each while Greene and Bayron Matos both led the team in rebounds with 9 each. They were 41.9% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 68.2% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 58.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 62.3 PPG against them. USF has an ATS record of 7-9 this season and their O/U record is 4-12.

 

 

Houston is coming into this game with a 15-2 record overall and they are 9-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 5th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 4-0 in their conference games this season. Their last loss was against the Alabama Crimson Tide but they have gone on a 7 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the ULL Ragin' Cajuns, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Texas State Bobcats, the Temple Owls, the South Florida Bulls, the Wichita State Shockers, and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in their last game. Kyler Edwards led the team in points in that game with 29 while Reggie Chaney was next on the team off the bench with 10 points. Edwards also led the team in assists in that game with 3 while Taze Moore led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 39.7% from the field, 32.1% from 3-point range, and 78.6% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 77.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 57.9 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 10-7 this season and their O/U record is 8-9.

 

USF is coming into this game as a 19.5 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. USF has not been winning many games recently but they have been keeping their games closer than the spread here. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games, all of them against conference opponents, and the 3 games they have lost were all by less than 20 points. Houston has been having a great season but they have not been smashing teams recently. They have 4 conference wins this season and none of them have been by 20 points or more. They have also faced USF on the road already and they only won that game by 17 points. The best bet to place in this game is on USF to cover the spread here as they should keep the game closer than that spread. 

 

USF Houston Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, January 18, 2022 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Houston 81 USF 67.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this USF Bulls Houston Cougars prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.

 

 

USF Bulls: 4-12 O/U in all games. 12-22 O/U when the total is 129.5 or less. 18-23 O/U as an underdog. 5-10 O/U in January games. 12-21 O/U after 2 consecutive conference games. 3-10 O/U after allowing 55 points or less.

Houston Cougars: 83-126 O/U in all home games. 6-23 O/U in a home game where the total is 129.5 or less. 18-24 O/U against conference opponents. 16-23 O/U after a conference game. 20-38 O/U off a road win against a conference rival. 25-45 O/U off a road win. 25-46 O/U after a win by 6 points or less.

 

 

USF Bulls:  None.

Houston Cougars:  M. Sasser (G) out for season - Toe injury. T. Mark (G) out for season - Shoulder injury. K. Powell (C) out for season - Redshirt.

 

 

“A great team win for us tonight against a very, very good team. We played great – exceptionally well in every facet of the game. It all starts with the intensity we play with. The energy we play with and to play as hard as we did and as disciplined as we did. It was very encouraging for everybody” - Brian Gregory on his team’s win against UCF.

 

 

“Our kids were on fumes the second half. Every time we come up here, it’s just crazy. Coach Haith and his kids, they fight ... I don’t think I’ve ever seen a year with injuries over an extended period of time like this. But also, we’re 4-0 in the conference and we’ve only played one home conference game. I’m proud of our kids, I’m proud of our program.” - Kelvin Sampson on his team’s close win against Tulsa.

 

 

 

J. Boggs 

J. Chaplin 

J. Greene 

C. Murphy 

Russel Tchewa

 

R. Chaney 

Kyler Edwards 

M. Sasser 

J. Shead 

F. White

 

PPG: C. Murphy (11.9)

APG: C. Murphy (3.3)

Reb/G: R. Tchewa (5.1)

 

PPG: M. Sasser (17.7)

APG: J. Shead (5.4)

Reb/G: J. Roberts (6)

 

Coaches:

USF Bulls: Brian Gregory (5th season)

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (8th season)