The Longwood Lancers (21-13) travel to face off against the Houston Cougars (28-3) on Friday, March 22nd. This game will be played at FedExForum in Memphis and televised on TNT. Longwood is coming off a win in their previous game, while Houston is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Iowa State. Tip-off is set for 9:20 ET.
Longwood Lancers vs Houston Cougars
The Longwood Lancers Are Coming Off A Win
Longwood comes into this game with a 21-13 record and a four-game win streak. They are 9-10 in Big South play and 12-3 in non-conference games. On the road, the Lancers are 8-10 this season, and their average scoring margin is +2.6.
So far this year, Longwood has been the underdog in 10 games and has gone 3-7 in those matchups. In their last game, they beat UNC Asheville by a score of 85-59, and their record over the last 10 road games is 4-6.
Longwood has been a solid team against the spread this season, going 17-14. Their road ATS mark is 10-8, and they have gone 3-0 vs. the spread in their last three road games. As the underdog, the Lancers have an ATS record of 6-4 this season and have gone 4-1 vs. the spread in their last five games as the underdog.
Longwood’s over/under record this season is 17-14 and today’s over/under line of 127 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (141.8). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 142 points and their OU record over their last 10 games is 6-4.
The Houston Cougars Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
After losing their last game to Iowa State by a score of 69-41, Houston enters today’s game with a record of 28-3. At home this season, the Cougars are 21-1, and their average scoring margin at home is +23.6 points per game. Over their last 10 games at home, Houston has gone 9-1.
On the year, Houston has been favored in 33 of their 31 games, going 30-3 in those matchups. Their average scoring margin on the road is +2.8 points per game, and they are currently on a four-game road winning streak. So far this season, the Cougars have gone 18-4 in Big 12 play.
When looking at Houston’s ATS record this season, they have gone 17-15-2. At home, the Cougars are 14-7-1 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, Houston is 5-4-1 and they are 5-4-1 vs. the spread in their last 10 home games.
The over/under record for Houston this season is 15-19 and today’s line of 127 is lower than the average OU line in their games (132.9). So far, 15 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s OU line. The average scoring total in their last three games is 118 points, which is lower than their season average of 130.8 points per game.
Longwood Offense Breakdown
Coming off their recent game, the Longwood offense tallied 85 points in a matchup against UNC Asheville. Their field goal percentage for the game was 59.6%, and they made 7 threes. Leading the team in scoring is Walyn Napper, who is averaging 14.6 heading into today’s matchup. Additionally, Michael Christmas also maintains a PPG average of 11.5 heading into game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walyn Napper (G) | 14.6 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
| Michael Christmas (F) | 11.5 | 6.2 | 0.9 |
| Johnathan Massie (G) | 11.4 | 5.3 | 1.8 |
Houston Offense Breakdown
Compared to their season average of 73 points per game, Houston struggled in their previous game. Against Iowa State, the Cougars scored 41 points while finishing with a field goal percentage of 26.8%. On the offensive front, the Cougars have a season-long field goal percentage of 43%, ranking 281st nationally. When it comes to three-point shooting, they are ranked 145th in terms of percentage and 143rd in three-pointers made.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| LJ Cryer (G) | 15.3 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| Jamal Shead (G) | 13.1 | 3.8 | 6.2 |
| Emanuel Sharp (G) | 12.2 | 3.7 | 0.9 |
Longwood Team Defense
The Lancers’ defense is presently ranked 66th nationally, allowing an average of 67.8 points per contest. Against UNC Asheville in their most recent game, the Longwood defense gave up a total of 59 points while allowing UNC Asheville to hit 38% of their shots.
Houston Team Defense
At this time, the Cougars’ defense is positioned 1st in the country, permitting 57.0 points per game. Against Iowa State, the Cougars’ defense gave up 69 points and did a good job not fouling. For the game, Iowa State only made 7 free-throws.
Lancers vs Cougars Trends
- In their last five road games, Longwood has averaged 77 points per game while allowing 70 . The team’s record in this stretch was 3-2 while going 4-1 vs. the spread.
- Across their five previous home games, Houston has an ATS mark of 1-3-1. Their straight up record in these matchups was 4-1 while averaging 73 points per game.
- In their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Lancers have a straight up record of 3-7 and an ATS mark of 6-4.
- Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the favorite, the Cougars have a straight up record of 9-1. Their record vs the spread in these games was 5-4-1.
Lancers vs Cougars Prediction
When looking to get a point-spread pick down in this Cougars vs. Cougars game, our recommendation is to take the Cougars at -23.5. Despite our model showing the Cougars winning 75-69, we like Lancers as our point-spread pick.
Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 127, and our model predicts the Lancers and Cougars to score a combined 144 points. We recommend betting on the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* 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.
Last updated:March 19, 2024 Houston Cougars, Longwood Lancers