The Houston Cougars have put together a nice start to their non-conference season but are lacking a signature win. They would love to pick it up as the Cougars travel to face off against the Connecticut Huskies in a post-Christmas matchup.
Connecticut has struggled to begin the season but get this matchup at home and are in the bigger conference, so it could still be favored. However, Houston has played well enough to give itself confidence the road win can be had.
At 8 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Wednesday, December 28, 2016, at the XL Center.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
Houston is 10-3 straight up and 4-4 against the spread on the season. The Cougars have played two true road games this season and have yet to cover, which may be a warning sign for this one. Houston is 0-1 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
Connecticut it just 5-6 straight up and 2-6 against the spread on the season. The Huskies have gone 0-2 against the spread at home this season so something will have to budge. Connecticut has failed to cover in four tries as the favorite and will look to get off the schneide if it is indeed favored in this matchup.
Player to Watch
Rob Gray Jr. -- Houston’s best chance at winning this game will be if it can get a big performance from its leading scorer.
The junior shooting guard is averaging 20.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He is shooting 50 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from three-point range.
Gray, Jr. is one of the better shooters in his conference and Connecticut must keep an eye on him at all times. He played every minute and scored 30 points in a recent win over Rhode Island and has the type of talent to explode for points in bunches.
Key Stat
Six. That’s how many losses Connecticut has this season, all of which have come by 10 points or fewer. The fact that this team hasn’t been blown out is a good sign, but wins need to start coming in bigger bunches now if the Huskies want to get selected for a postseason tournament.
UConn has lost to No. 13 Oregon by 10 points, Wagner by nine, Oklahoma State by eight, Ohio State by four, Nebraska by three, and, last time out to Auburn by three in overtime.
Connecticut also has three wins by three points or fewer so it has played in a lot of close games in the earlygoing this year, and that one could also follow that script.
Connecticut is clearly not the same caliber of team as some of its past seasons but hopes to win this one is if it is close and buck some bad luck trends early on.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Houston has been the better team this season but against a lot of small-conference competition. The Cougars have been solid statistically, outscoring their opponents by an average of nearly 17 points per game and could pick up a marquee win with a road defeat of a perennially strong UConn program.
The Huskies are usual NCAA Tournament participants but it’s hard to believe they will make it this time around. Connecticut needs to win this game to kickstart a turnaround, and a loss at home would continue a disappointing run.
This one should be close, but UConn is the choice to sneak out with a victory to get back to .500 on the season. Check on the spread when it is released to see which team is favored.
College Basketball Odds: Connecticut 68, Houston 65
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