Houston Cougars vs Temple Owls Prediction, 1/2/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Cougars vs Temple Owls

Date: Sunday, January 2, 2022

Location: Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA

TV: ESPN

The Temple Owls (7-5) will take on the Houston Cougars (11-2) at Liacouras Center on Sunday.

The Houston Cougars faced off with Texas State and went home with a win by a final score of 80-47 in their last game. Houston wrapped up the game with a 55.2% FG percentage (32 of 58) and buried 13 out of their 28 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Cougars buried 3 of 6 attempts for a percentage of 50.0%. When discussing pulling down boards, they collected a total of 30 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 17 assists in the game as well as forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and having 7 steals. With regard to the defense, Houston allowed the other team to go 40.4% from the floor on 19 of 47 shooting. Texas State earned 13 assists and had 4 steals for the contest. On top of that, Texas State grabbed 25 rebounds (6 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Texas State finished shooting 75.0% from the free throw line by converting 3 of 4 attempts. They also knocked down 6 out of their 18 shots from 3-point land. With respect to personal fouls, the Cougars ended up finishing with 12 while Texas State accounted for 15 personal fouls.

Josh Carlton is a player who was a contributor for the matchup. He accumulated 20 points on 10 of 13 shooting. He played 22 mins played and also pulled down 5 rebounds. He finished the game at 76.9% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist.

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Houston will take the court with a record of 11-2 for the season. They are averaging 79.4 pts per game (46th in D-1) while hitting 48.0% from the field. The Cougars are shooting 37.3% on shots from 3-point land (118 of 316) and 64.4% from the free throw line. As a unit, Houston is pulling down 39.3 rebounds per contest and has racked up 203 dimes this year, which is 51st in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 10.9 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 17.1 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Cougars are forcing 17.2 turnovers per game while drawing 17.7 personal fouls. They surrender 28.6% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 6th in D-1 in points per game allowed (56.0). The Cougars are allowing a FG percentage of 37.0% (246 of 664) and they relinquish 31.2 rebounds per game as a squad. They are 89th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 133 surrendered for the year.

The last time they took the court, the Temple Owls went home victorious with a score of 85-48 when they played Delaware State. The Owls recorded 29 defensive boards and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 42 in the game. They also turned it over 8 times, while earning 6 steals for this game. Delaware State was called for 14 fouls for the contest which took the Owls to the charity stripe for a total of 18 shots. They were able to knock down 15 of the free throws for a rate of 83.3%. In terms of shooting from downtown, Temple buried 14 of 30 tries (46.7%). At the conclusion of this game, the Owls shot 28 for 65 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.1%. The Owls allowed Delaware State to make 20 out of 62 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 32.3% in the game. They shot 22.2% from distance by connecting on 4 out of 18 and ended up going 4 of 6 from the free throw line (66.7%). When it comes to rebounding, Temple permitted Delaware State to pull down 33 in all (9 offensive).

Zach Hicks was important for the Owls in the game. He scored 35 points in his 27 minutes of playing time, but wasn't able to get an assist. He converted 12 out of 18 for this contest for a rate of 66.7%, and had 7 rebounds.

Temple has a record of 7-5 so far this year. The Owls commit 17.7 fouls every game and they connect on 69.1% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.1 times per game (274th in college hoops) and they turn the ball over 11.8 times per game. Temple has accumulated 811 pts for the campaign (67.6 per contest) and they grab 39.5 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Owls are shooting 40.2% from the field, which is 326th in D-1.

The Temple defense allows 32.7% on shots from distance (91 of 278) and opponents are connecting on 68.3% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 14.0 assists and 36.4 boards per contest, ranking them 278th and 260th in college hoops. The Owls on the defensive end are ranked 121st in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 66.0. They are forcing their opponents into 11.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.9% from the floor (76th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston

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