Free CBB Pick: Cincinnati vs. Houston NCAAB Odds
Looking for Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Houston Cougars NCAA basketball free picks & CBB odds? CBB betting sees the Bearcats taking on the Cougars on Sunday, March 14th, 2021, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all college basketball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily basketball predictions like this Cincinnati Houston matchup.
2021 NCAA Basketball Handicapping
(12-10) Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Houston Cougars (23-3)
Date: Sunday, March 14th, 2021
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Venue: Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas
Moneyline Odds: Bearcats (+660), Cougars (-840)
Betting Odds: Houston -13.5
Betting Total: O/U 135
The American Conference Championship is going down between the #1 seeded Houston Cougars and the #5 seeded Cincinnati Bearcats on Sunday to see who will get the automatic bid for the Big Dance. Houston most likely is in the field already regardless, but we could see the Bearcats steal a bid from one of those teams sitting on the Bubble.
The Bearcats outlasted the Wichita State Shockers 60-59 in the semis to advance to Championship, while the Cougars held on for dear life once again against Memphis 76-74 to make it the Ship.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati looked like they were on the road to their worst finish since the 2009-2010 season when they went 19-16 overall and 7-11 in the conference, but the Bearcats have turned their season around going 7-3 in their last 10 games and winning three in a row to advance to the Championship game to take on the Cougars.
Cincinnati beat SMU as an underdog in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament and then picked up a thrilling 60-59 win over Wichita State in the semifinals to get here.
On offense, Cincy is led by senior guard Keith Williams who missed the second half of the game against the Shockers. Williams averages a team-high 14.9 points per game and has been the most consistent player all season for the Bearcats. If he can’t go today expect Houston to run away with this one.
The Bearcats have not been a good offensive team this season, listed at #211 in the country at effective field goal percentage. They average 69.59 points per game which is good for 223rd in the nation. When it comes to AAC conference games though they boast the 3rd best offensive rating in the AAC scoring 71.1 points while playing against other AAC opponents.
Defensively, John Brannen’s squad is rated as the second-worst team in the conference. They surrender 71.9 points per game when facing other AAC opponents and allow opponents to shoot 49.0% from the floor and 32.9% from beyond the arc.
Houston Cougars
Houston has been the best team in the American Conference all season, even though Wichita State ended up with the top seed in the conference tournament. The Cougars actually have a real shot at capturing the NCAA title with their talent. After closing the regular season on a 67-64 buzzer-beater against Memphis the Tiger’s had a chance at redemption on Saturday in the AAC semifinal, but once again came up short 76-74 to allow Houston to advance to the Championship game.
The Cougars are led by Junior guard Quentin Grimes. He leads Houston with 17.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He poured on 21 points and grabbed six boards in the semifinals against Memphis. Sophomore guard Marcus Sasser is the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.5 points and is dishing out 2.4 assists.
As a team, Houston averages 77.12 points per game which is good for 49th in the country. They shoot 43.93% from the floor and 35.65% from behind the three-point line. The Cougars are #9 in adjusted offensive efficiency and are the second-rated offensive rebounding team in the country.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cougars rank as a top 5 team nationally. Houston has limited opponents to just 58.0 points per game this season. Opponents are shooting 37.49% from the field and 27.71% from beyond the three-point range against the Cougars.
Betting Trends:
- Cincinnati is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Cincinnati’s last 10 games.
- Cincinnati is 9-3 SU in their last 12 games.
- Cincinnati is 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games against Houston.
- Houston is 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Houston’s last 10 games.
- Houston is 6-0 SU in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Houston’s last 15 games against Cincinnati.
- Houston is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games this season.
Free Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Houston Cougars NCAAB Prediction:
I love the Cougars in the first half of this game to cover the number. Without Keith Williams in the lineup, the Bearcats boast an abysmal 0.88 points per possession compared to the 1.06 with him in the lineup. Cincinnati did lockdown defensively with him out of the rotation, but I don’t think they will be able to replicate that kind of production against a very good shooting Houston team.
The last time these two teams played Houston jumped out to a 50-26 half-time lead and that was with Keith Williams in the lineup. Give me Houston to cover the first-half spread before Cincy has a chance to figure out how they are going to score.
4* Free NCAA College Basketball Betting Pick: Houston 1H -7
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