Temple Owls (11-9) vs. Houston Cougars (18-1)
January 22, 2023 3:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Cougars -20.5 / Temple Owls +20.5; Over/Under: +132
(Get latest betting odds)
The Temple Owls and Houston Cougars meet Sunday in college basketball action at the Fertitta Center. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Temple Owls Betting Preview
The Temple Owls are averaging 69.3 points on 42.2 percent shooting and allowing 68.3 points on 42 percent shooting. Khalif Battle is averaging 17.5 points and 3.9 rebounds, while Damian Dunn is averaging 15.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. Jamille Reynolds is the third double-digit scorer and Zach Hicks is grabbing 5 rebounds. The Temple Owls are shooting 31.3 percent from beyond the arc and 77.2 percent from the free throw line. The Temple Owls are allowing 30.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32.4 rebounds per game.
The Houston Cougars Betting Preview
The Houston Cougars are averaging 76.2 points on 47.1 percent shooting and allowing 53.3 points on 34.3 percent shooting. Marcus Sasser is averaging 16.9 points 2.8 rebounds, while Tramon Mark is averaging 10.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. Jarace Walker is the third double-digit scorer and J’Wan Roberts is grabbing 7.1 rebounds. The Houston Cougars are shooting 35.7 percent from beyond the arc and 71.6 percent from the free throw line. The Houston Cougars are allowing 24.9 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 36.9 rebounds per game.
Trends
The Owls are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 road games and 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Cougars are 35-17 ATS in their last 52 home games and 38-18 ATS in their last 56 games overall. The under is 8-3 in Owls last 11 overall. The over is 5-2-1 in Cougars last 8 overall. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Randy’s Free Pick
The Houston Cougars obviously have the horses to blow the doors off here at home, where they win by an average of 26.2 points. The line is what it is for a reason. However, we know Temple will be the more motivated side, playing the top ranked team in the land. Also, Temple is an above average defensive side that doesn’t get blown out often. Temple actually wins in the underdog role by an average of 1.1 points. I’ll take my chances with Temple and the points.
