Houston vs Wichita State 1/8/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Wichita State Shockers will travel to the Fertitta Center to take on the 12^th ranked Houston Cougars this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Wichita State Shockers dropped to 9-4 on the season after being defeated by the Memphis Tigers, 82-64, this past Saturday. Wichita State had no answers on either end of the court for Memphis and could not fight back after the Tigers took a 60-36 lead with 15:47 left in regulation. Wichita State shot just 29.5% from the field & 21.2% from beyond the arc while allowing Memphis to shoot 52.4% from the field & 26.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Shockers was Tyson Etienne who had 17 points, 1 rebounds, 1 assist, & 3 steals.

On the season, Wichita State is averaging 68.6 ppg on 40.2% shooting from the field. The Shockers are averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game on 30.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Wichita State has been led by Tyson Etienne (14.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.3 spg), Morris Udeze (11.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.0 bpg), Ricky Council IV (9.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.1 spg), & Dexter Dennis (8.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.0 bpg).

Defensively, Wichita State is holding their opponents to an average of 63.3 ppg on 40.6% shooting from the field. The Shockers have a rebound margin of 2.5 and a turnover margin of 2.2.

The 12^th ranked Houston Cougars won their 5^th straight game and improved to 13-2 on the season after defeating the South Florida Bulls, 83-66, this past Wednesday. Houston led by just a 40-37 margin at halftime, however, the Cougars dominated South Florida on both ends of the court in the 2^nd half and easily pulled away for the victory after taking a 61-46 lead with 11:35 left in regulation. Houston shot 51.7% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while holding South Florida to just 37.3% shooting from the field & 35.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cougars was Josh Carlton who had a double-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 block.

On the season, Houston is averaging 78.7 ppg on 47.5% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 8.6 three-pointers per game on 35.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Houston has been led by Marcus Sasser (17.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.1 spg), Kyler Edwards (12.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.8 apg), Josh Carlton (11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg), & Fabian White Jr. (10.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.1 bpg).

Defensively, Houston is holding their opponents to an average of 57.0 ppg on 37.2% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of 8.0 and a turnover margin of 5.9.

The Shockers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games on a Saturday and just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Cougars are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 Saturday games.

Wichita State is led by their defense which comes into this game ranked 64^th in scoring defense & 82^nd in defensive FG%, however, the Shockers have really struggled on the offensive end and come into this matchup ranked just t-260^th in scoring offense & 320^th in FG%. Houston has been outstanding on both ends of the court this season and come into this game ranked 48^th in scoring offense, 8^th in scoring defense, & 11^th in defensive FG%.

Houston is a perfect 8-0 at home this season and as I just don’t see Wichita State, who come into this game as of the worst shooting teams in College basketball, having any success offensively in this one, I think Houston wins this one by 15+ and covers this spread. Good Luck!