The BYU Cougars (10-2) travel to face off against the Houston Cougars (9-3) on Saturday, January 4th. This game will be played at Fertitta Center in Houston and televised on ESPN+. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 2:00 ET.

BYU Cougars vs Houston Cougars

The Cougars Are Coming Off A Win

BYU improved to 10-2 on the season with a 76-56 win over Arizona State on Tuesday. Playing at home, the Cougars were favored by 9.5 points and covered the spread.

BYU led 31-26 at halftime and pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Sun Devils 45-30. The game’s total points of 132 fell short of the 149.5 over/under line.

The Cougars Are Coming Off A Win

Houston improved to 9-3 this season with a 60-47 win over Oklahoma State on Monday. The Cougars, who were -11.5 favorites, covered the spread in the road victory.

Houston led 28-18 at halftime and outscored the Cowboys 32-29 in the second half. The game’s total points of 107 fell well short of the 137.5 O/U line.

Cougars Offense Breakdown

Richie Saunders was the star for BYU in their last game, scoring 30 points in 30 minutes and hitting 6 of 11 from beyond the arc, finishing with an overall shooting percentage of 61.1%. As a team, the Cougars shot 31.2% from three-point range, making 10 of 32 attempts.

Inside the arc, BYU was much more efficient, shooting 69.2% on two-point attempts. Their overall field goal percentage was 48.3%, with an effective field goal percentage of 56.9%. The Cougars also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and dished out 17 assists in the game.

Cougars Offense Breakdown

Houston managed just 60 points in their last game, shooting 42.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 47.4%. They hit 30% from beyond the arc, going 6-for-20, and were perfect from the free-throw line, making all 6 attempts.

J’Wan Roberts led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 69.2% on 9-of-13 shooting. L.J. Cryer added 18 points, hitting 4-of-8 from three-point range, while Milos Uzan contributed 12 points and 4 assists.

Cougars Team Defense

BYU’s defense gave up 56 points, even though they allowed the opposing team to shoot 48% from the field. The Cougars struggled to contain two-point shots, with the other team hitting 69% of their attempts (18/26).

From beyond the arc, BYU held their opponents to 31% shooting, as they went 10/32 from three-point range. The Cougars also sent the other team to the free-throw line 14 times, where they made 10 shots (71%). BYU gave up 13 offensive rebounds in the game.

Cougars Team Defense

Despite giving up 56 points, BYU’s defense struggled to contain their opponent’s shooting, allowing them to hit 48% of their shots. Inside the arc, the Cougars gave up 18 two-point baskets on 26 attempts, a 69% shooting rate.

From three-point range, BYU’s defense held their opponent to 31% shooting, with 10 made threes on 32 attempts. At the free-throw line, their opponent went 10/14, shooting 71%. BYU also allowed 13 offensive rebounds.

Cougars vs Cougars Trends

• Across their ten previous road games, BYU has an ATS mark of 3-7. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-8 while averaging 74 points per game.
• Across the Cougars last three home games, the team averaged 69 points per game while allowing 63. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 1-2, while going 2-1 straight-up.
• Through their last three games as the betting underdog, the Cougars have a strong record vs the spread going 2-1. Their straight up mark in these contests is 1-2.
• The Cougars have played well in their last five games as the betting favorite, going 5-0 straight up and 3-2 against the spread.

Cougars vs Cougars Prediction

The Cougars is our pick to not only win with a projected score of 82-65. But we also favor them to cover the spread. Our bet is on the Cougars at -9.5.

As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 132.5, and our model projects the Cougars and Cougars to reach a combined total of 147 points. Our bet is on taking the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.