Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 2/25/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Houston Cougars

Date: Thursday, February 25, 2021

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN2

Odds/Point Spread: Western Kentucky (+13)

The Houston Cougars (18-3) host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (15-4) at Fertitta Center on Thursday. The odds on this game have Houston as 13-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 135.5.

Western Kentucky enters this game with a mark of 15-4 on the year. They have an average of 75.0 pts per game (92nd in college hoops) while connecting on 46.0% from the floor. The Hilltoppers are connecting on 35.0% on shots from beyond the arc (120 of 343) and 78.9% from the charity stripe. As a team, Western Kentucky is snagging 37.9 rebounds per contest and has 259 assists for the season, which has them ranked 183rd in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 14.5 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 15.3 personal fouls on a nightly basis. Defensively, the Hilltoppers have forced 13.9 turnovers per game and they draw 18.2 personal fouls. They give up 36.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 153rd in the country in PPG allowed (69.4). The Hilltoppers defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 42.7% (478 of 1,119) and they relinquish 30.8 boards per game as a unit. They are 138th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 234 relinquished so far this season.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers stepped onto the hardwood against the Rice Owls and notched a win by a score of 89-66 in their last game. Western Kentucky walked away from the game with a 56.5% field goal percentage (35 out of 62) and made 14 of their 28 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Hilltoppers converted 5 of 8 shots for a rate of 62.5%. In regard to hauling in boards, they compiled 30 with 8 of them being offensive. They also doled out 24 assists in this game in addition to getting 8 steals and 4 blocked shots. In reference to the defense, Western Kentucky let their opponent shoot 56.5% from the field on 35 out of 62 shooting. Rice distributed 9 dimes and had 6 steals in this contest. In addition, the Owls snagged 29 rebounds (10 offensive, 19 defensive) and had 4 rejections. Rice shot 77.8% at the charity stripe by knocking down 7 of their 9 shots. They also made 9 of their 32 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Charles Bassey is one guy who was a major factor for the game. He recorded 21 points on 9 out of 10 shooting. He was on the court for 25 mins and pulled down 4 rebounds. Bassey finished the game shooting 90.0% from the field but finished the game without a dime. An additional guy that was a major factor in the matchup for the Hilltoppers was Taveion Hollingsworth. He collected 4 rebounds in 31 minutes on the court. He finished the contest at 54.5% from the floor for the game by shooting 6-of-11 (16 points). When the time ran out, Hollingsworth earned 7 assists.

Houston has a mark of 18-3 this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cougars are connecting on 43.2% from the floor, which is ranked 224th in D-1. Houston has accounted for 1,606 points so far this season (76.5 per game) and they grab 42.1 rebounds per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.1 times per contest (185th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.5 times per contest. The Cougars are responsible for committing 19.4 personal fouls per game and they shoot 72.8% from the charity stripe. The Cougars defensively are ranked 2nd in college basketball in points given up per game with 57.6. They relinquish 9.5 dimes and 32.4 boards every game, which ranks 8th and 67th in college basketball. The Houston defense allows 26.5% on shots from behind the 3-point line (108 of 407) and their opponents are making 67.4% of their free throw shots. They are forcing their opponents into 15.1 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 36.4% from the floor (1st in Division 1).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Houston Cougars walked away with a victory by a final of 90-52 when they played the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Cougars snagged 33 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 44 in this matchup. They also blocked 8 tries while getting 6 steals for this game. The Bearcats earned 21 fouls in this contest which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for a total of 21 tries. They were able to convert 19 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 90.5%. In regard to shooting from downtown, Houston made 9 out of 23 attempts (39.1%). Overall, the Cougars finished the game shooting 31 for 66 from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.0%. The Cougars permitted the Bearcats to knock down 15 of 50 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 30.0% for the contest. They shot 23.8% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 5 of 21 and finished the game at 17 out of 28 from the free throw line (60.7%). With respect to how they rebounded, Houston allowed Cincinnati to collect 24 in all (4 on the offensive glass).

Quentin Grimes ended up being a major contributor for the Cougars in the matchup. He made 6 out of 14 for this game for a field goal rate of 42.9%, and accumulated 8 rebounds. Grimes earned 20 points in his 26 mins on the court and accounted for 3 dimes for the matchup. Someone else who came through for Houston was Dejon Jarreau. He finished this one with 1 assist in his 25 mins on the hardwood, and he put in 4 of 7 from the floor. Jarreau wrapped this one up going 57.1% from the floor while also totaling 11 points and 5 total rebounds.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Western Kentucky (+13)

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