Alcorn State Braves vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 12/20/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Alcorn State Braves vs Houston Cougars

Date: Sunday, December 20, 2020

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Alcorn State (+33.5)

The Houston Cougars (4-0) play the Alcorn State Braves (0-1) at Fertitta Center on Sunday. Alcorn State opens this matchup as 33.5-point underdogs. The total opens at 140.

Alcorn State will play this contest with a mark of 0-1 on the season. They are averaging 50 pts per game (328th in the nation) while hitting 30.2% from the floor. The Braves are shooting 18.8% on shots from 3-point land (3 of 16) and 75.0% from the free throw line. As a unit, Alcorn State is pulling in 37 boards per contest and is sitting with 2 dimes for the year, which ranks 328th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 24 times per contest and as a squad are committing 23 fouls per contest. On the defensive end of the court, the Braves have forced 11 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16 personal fouls. The Braves defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 53.4% (31 of 58) and they concede 41 boards per game as a unit. They are ranked 6th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 11 surrendered on the season. They are giving up 40.0% on 3-point attempts and they are 326th in D-1 in opponents points per game (99.0).

The Alcorn State Braves stepped onto the hardwood against the UAB Blazers and took a loss by a score of 99-50 in their last game. Alcorn State ended having earned a 30.2% field goal percentage (19 of 63) and buried 3 of their 16 three-point attempts. When they shot from the free throw line, the Braves buried 9 of 12 shots for a percentage of 75.0%. In relation to grabbing boards, they compiled a total of 31 with 13 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 2 assists in this contest in addition to earning 2 steals and 2 rejections. When it comes to defense, Alcorn State allowed the other team to go 30.2% from the floor on 19 out of 63. UAB distributed 11 dimes and 13 steals for this game. On top of that, the Blazers grabbed 32 boards (5 offensive, 27 defensive) and added 2 rejections. UAB finished the game at 79.5% at the free throw line by making 31 of 39 attempts. They also made 6 of 15 attempts from beyond the arc.

Kurk Lee is a player who was pivotal in this contest. He ended up with 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting. He played for 29 mins and also pulled down 2 boards. Lee shot 54.5% from the floor and also recorded 2 assists. Someone else that saw a lot of time on the hardwood in the game for the Braves was Tyree Corbett. He snagged 7 rebounds and also collected 2 assists. He ended up going 55.6% from the field in the matchup by shooting 5-of-9 (11 points). When all was said and done, Corbett saw the court for 18 minutes.

Houston has a win-loss record of 4-0 so far this year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cougars are hitting on 39.1% from the floor, which is ranked 319th in the country. Houston has accounted for 298 pts for the campaign (74.5 per game) and they pull in 42.8 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 9.5 times per game (314th in the nation) and they are turning it over 12.3 times per contest. The Cougars commit 22.8 fouls per game and they go 80.4% from the charity stripe. The Cougars on the defensive side of the court are 13th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 55.8. They have forced 18.0 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 38.6% from the field (60th in college hoops). The Houston defense gives up 18.8% on shots from distance (12 of 64) and their opponents are making 58.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 9.8 dimes and 32.0 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 36th and 80th in Division 1.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Houston Cougars got the victory with a final of 77-67 against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Cougars were able to snag 22 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards totaling 34 in the game. They rejected 8 attempts while recording 11 steals in the matchup. The Gamecocks earned 26 fouls for the contest which got the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 38 tries. They were able to convert 31 of those for a rate of 81.6%. In relation to 3-point attempts, Houston converted 4 out of their 19 attempts (21.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Cougars walked away from this one shooting 21 for 55 from the field which gave them a percentage of 38.2%. The Cougars permitted the Gamecocks to bury 22 of 50 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.0% in the matchup. They shot 35.3% from distance by going 6 of 17 and walked away from this one shooting 17 of 29 at the free throw line (58.6%). When talking about rebounding, Houston permitted South Carolina to collect 30 in all (8 on the offensive glass).

Quentin Grimes ended up being a factor for the Cougars in this matchup. He made 4 of 12 in this contest for a field goal rate of 33.3%, which earned him 23 points. Grimes had 7 boards in his 39 minutes and totaled 3 dimes for this game. Another guy that ended up coming through for Houston was Tramon Mark. He ended up with 18 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood by going 4 out of 12 from the floor for the game. Mark finished going 33.3% from the field in addition to totaling 2 assists and 4 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Houston (-33.5)

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