Houston vs Northern Colorado 11/7/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Northern Colorado Bears and Houston Cougars meet Monday in college basketball action at the Fertitta Center. The Northern Colorado Bears are coming off a 22-win season. The Houston Cougars are coming off a 32-win season and a Regional Final trip. 

The Northern Colorado Bears have won 20-plus games 6 times in school history. Daylen Kountz returns after averaging 21.2 points and 4.1 rebounds, while Matt Johnson II averaged 13.4 points and 3.7 assists. Bryce Kennedy played in 313 minutes last season, and Dalton Knecht averaged 3.6 rebounds. The Northern Colorado Bears had one of their better seasons in school history, and they should be able to build on that with Kountz and Johnson returning. Two of the better players in the Big Sky, Northern Colorado has a fighting chance whenever it takes the court. 

The Houston Cougars enter the ninth season under coach Kelvin Sampson. Marcus Sasser returns after averaging 17.7 points and 2.8 rebounds, while Tramon Mark averaged 10.1 points and 2.4 assists. Reggie Chaney played in 436 minutes last season, and Lunden McDay averaged 2.3 rebounds. The Houston Cougars return 3 double-digit scorers from last season and bring in 3 talented recruits in Emanuel Sharp, Terrance Arceneaux and Jarace Walker. Houston enters the season as a legit national title contender and has a few games to play before taking a massive trip out to Oregon later in the month.

The Bears are 37-16-1 ATS in their last 54 road games. The Cougars are 39-17 ATS in their last 56 home games and 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The over is 22-9 in Bears last 31 overall. The under is 8-2-1 in Cougars last 11 overall.

The Houston Cougars are obviously the better team here and capable of a beat down, but they also enter the season with more hype than ever, and that could lead to some sluggish play as they get a little full of themselves. Also, the Northern Colorado Bears have two players who can do damage against any team in the country, and that makes them worth a look in the underdog role. Northern Colorado shouldn’t be overlooked here. Give me the points.