Houston Cougars vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 3/20/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Cougars vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Sunday, March 20, 2022

Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Houston (-3)

PPG Paints Arena is the location where the Illinois Fighting Illini (23-9) will attempt to beat the Houston Cougars (30-5) on Sunday. Houston opens this game as 3-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is set at 144.

The Houston Cougars played UAB and took home the win by a score of 82-68 in their last contest. Houston ended the game with a 53.3% field goal percentage (32 out of 60) and made 10 of 21 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Cougars buried 8 of 15 attempts for a percentage of 53.3%. With regard to pulling down rebounds, they earned 32 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 19 dimes in the game while forcing 12 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In relation to defending, Houston let their opponent shoot 46.4% from the field on 26 of 56 shooting. UAB earned 12 dimes and had 6 steals in this matchup. In addition, UAB grabbed 30 boards (7 offensive, 23 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. UAB finished the game shooting 78.6% when shooting free throws by converting 11 of 14 shots. They made 5 of 19 attempts from beyond the arc. In the matter of fouls, the Cougars walked away with 12 while UAB finished the game with 14 fouls.

Kyler Edwards is a player who had an impact in this matchup. He recorded 25 points on 9 of 15 shooting. He played 37 mins and also grabbed 7 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 60.0% from the floor and distributed 3 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Today

Houston heads into this contest with a win-loss record of 30-5 so far this year. They currently have an average of 76.0 pts per contest (51st in the nation) while hitting 47.1% from the field. The Cougars are connecting on 34.4% on 3-pointers (282 of 819) and 66.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, Houston is snagging 39.1 boards per game and has accounted for 588 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 8th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 11.2 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 17.2 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Cougars are able to force 14.3 turnovers every game while drawing 16.9 personal fouls. They currently rank 125th in D-1 in giving up assists with 382 surrendered on the year. The Cougars are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 37.6% (694 of 1,847) and they concede 31.7 rebounds per game as a squad. They are giving up 29.0% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 4th in college basketball in PPG allowed (59.1).

In their last game, the Illinois Fighting Illini took home the win by a final score of 54-53 when they faced Chattanooga. The Fighting Illini earned 29 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards for a total of 38 for the game. They gave up possession of the ball 14 times, while earning 5 steals in the matchup. Chattanooga was called for 21 personal fouls for this contest which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for 22 attempts. They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 59.1%. Pertaining to 3-pointers, Illinois buried 3 of 17 attempts (17.6%). In all, the Fighting Illini went 19 for 49 from the floor which had them shooting 38.8%. The Fighting Illini allowed Chattanooga to make 21 of 65 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 32.3% for the matchup. They finished 26.7% from distance by hitting 4 out of 15 and walked away from this one shooting 7 out of 14 at the free throw line (50.0%). Concerning rebounding, Illinois permitted Chattanooga to pull down 39 in all (15 on the offensive glass).

Kofi Cockburn ended up having an impact for the Fighting Illini for the game. He converted 6 out of 12 for this contest for a rate of 50.0%, and accumulated 13 rebounds. He earned 17 points in his 35 minutes of playing time and had 1 assist for this contest.

Illinois has a win-loss mark of 23-9 for the campaign. The Fighting Illini are committing 16.3 personal fouls every game and they go 70.3% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 15.3 times per contest (39th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 12.2 times per game. Illinois has scored 2,403 points for the campaign (75.1 per game) and they snag 38.7 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Fighting Illini are shooting 45.1% from the field, which is ranked 114th in the nation.

The Fighting Illini are ranked 119th in college basketball in points allowed per game with 67.2. They are forcing their opponents into 10.7 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.2% from the field (62nd in college basketball). The Illinois defense surrenders 32.1% on shots from distance (181 of 563) and their opponents are converting on 71.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 10.2 assists and 32.8 boards per game, which has them ranked 25th and 84th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston (-3)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here