The No. 10 Houston Cougars host the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday in a Big 12 college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 12:00 p.m. ET in Houston, Texas.
The Cougars are listed as 14.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 135.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this Big 12 college basketball matchup.
Houston vs. Cincinnati prediction, preview
It has been a great season so far for the Houston Cougars. They are 19-2, with one loss coming to a good Tennessee team out of conference and one loss coming to a good Texas Tech team in conference. As is typically the case under Kelvin Sampson, they are one of the best defensive teams in the nation. The Cougars are the sixth-best team in the country, per KenPom ratings, which includes ranking ninth in the country in defensive rating. Houston is led by a guard duo of Kingston Flemings and Emanuel Sharp, who are both averaging over 16 PPG. The Cougars are up there with Texas Tech and Arizona as the best teams in the Big 12, and they should have a chance to make a run in March.
Cincinnati is around the middle of the pack in the Big 12 this season. It has been a tough few years for Cincinnati basketball. Under Mick Cronin, Cincinnati made the NCAA Tournament in each of his last nine seasons with the program. In the seven years since, it has not made it back to March Madness. It has been a particularly tough transition to Big 12 play. It has yet to have a winning conference record in three seasons in the Big 12. This season, the Bearcats are led by standout forward Baba Miller, who is averaging a double-double.
Houston vs. Cincinnati pick
My best bet for this game is for Houston and Cincinnati to go under the total of 135.5 points. Houston is one of the best defensive teams in the nation, ranking ninth in defensive rating. However, Cincinnati is even better on that end of the floor. The Bearcats rank sixth in the nation in defensive rating this season. Houston leads the Big 12 in points per game allowed this season, while Cincinnati ranks fourth in the conference. Neither team is very high-scoring itself. Cincinnati ranks 15th out of 16 teams in the Big 12 in scoring, while Houston ranks 13th. Houston is going to dictate the pace here, and it is one of the slowest teams in the country, ranking 338th in adjusted tempo. This game should be played in the halfcourt on both ends, with both teams making it very difficult for their opponent to get open looks.
