The Houston Cougars rampaged to the American Athletic Conference regular season championship and the top ranking in the land. Most important of all, the Cougars were in the black against the board this year. This week brings the American Athletic Conference Tournament. And the most important College Basketball odds goal for Houston is to maintain what will be a number one seed. While not losing any players to injury. Head coach Kelvin Sampson facilitated the top defense in the country. Now Houston sets its sights on March Madness and its second Final Four under their outstanding coach.
Houston Cougars – 2023 American Athletic Conference Tournament
| Date and Time: | Friday, March 10, 2023, 12 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN2 |
| Houston Cougars AAC Championship at odds at SBG: | -320 |
Houston Cougars AAC Tournament SBG Odds Overview
At the onset of the week, Houston opened as the sportsbook favorite to win the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Houston will face the winner of Thursday’s game between the South Florida Bulls and East Carolina Pirates.
Houston Cougars Team Overview
Overall, the Houston Cougars are 29-2 straight up, 17-14 against the spread, and 14-16 over/under the total. Houston has national metrics of 76th for scoring offense, 45th for field goal percentage, 133rd for 3-point field goal percentage, 165th for free throw percentage, and 19th for offensive rebounding. While on defense, Houston is 2nd for scoring defense, 2nd for field goal percentage permitted, 2nd for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 10th for defensive rebounding.
Late on, Houston failed to get the money in seven of its final ten games. Three of their last five outings went under the NCAABB betting total. Marcus Sasser leads Houston with 17.2 points per game.
Namely, Jamal Shead scored 16 points in the most important regular season game of the season on Sunday. Including the winning basket as time ran out. And top-ranked Houston escaped a second-half rally by Memphis for a 67-65 win in the regular-season finale. Memphis’ Kendric Davis drove to the basket with nine seconds left and tied the game at 65.
Following the score by Davis, Houston chose not to call time out. Shead then maneuvered along the top of the key, created some space from defender Elijah McCadden with a step-back move, let it go from about 18 feet, and saw the ball nestle through the net. While the ball sank through, the lights around the basket showed time had expired.
As a result of the win, the Cougars have an 11-game winning streak. Cougars already secured the top seed in the AAC Tournament and will look for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Houston Cougars Conclusion
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said there was too much time left to call time out after Davis tied the game. He noted that it also would have allowed Memphis coach Penny Hardaway to make adjustments. Hardaway would have been able to put in better defensive players and switch on all ball screens.
Tramon Mark matched Shead’s 16 points for Houston. At the same time, Marcus Sasser finished with 13. Shead also had seven assists. Davis led Memphis with 26 points, while Chandler Lawson added 10. A second-half run by Memphis, capped by a Davis 3-pointer, provided the Tigers a 56-51 lead. But they couldn’t hold it, and Houston scored ten straight points.
Accordingly, Houston enters conference tournament week as the hottest brand going.