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The Cincinnati Bearcats survived the first round of the American Conference Tournament on Thursday and will look to build momentum as they seek revenge against a Houston Cougars team that defeated them twice during the regular season.
Cincinnati Bearcats vs Houston Cougars (-12, 133.5)
The Bearcats offense leaves a lot to be desired in terms of shooting, ranking in the bottom 100 in both field goal and three point shooting nationally, but give themselves extra chances, ranking 27th in the country in turnovers per possession and rebound 28.3% of their missed shots, in the top 33% of the nation.
Cincinnati will look to stymie a Houston bunch that is 13th in the country in points scored on a per possession basis and second in points allowed per possession, but is giving up 16.6 points per 100 possessions more away from home than at home.
The Cougars lead the country in offensive rebound rate, grabbing 37.7% of their missed shots, but also will give teams chances at the free throw line as both teams in this matchup rank in the top 30 in percentage of opponents points that come at the free throw line.
Both teams as a collective entered the tournament shooting 66.8% at the free throw line, but the Bearcats do have each of their top three scorers making over 75% of their free throws and these will likely be the players with the ball in their hands late in the game.
With Cincinnati 47th in points allowed on a per possession basis and Houston making just 31.7% of their 3-point attempts since the start of conference play, the Bearcats will give Houston a tough test in Texas on Friday.
The Play: Cincinnati +12
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