Houston Cougars vs Virginia Cavaliers Prediction, 12/17/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Cougars vs Virginia Cavaliers

Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022

Location: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA

TV: ESPN2

The Virginia Cavaliers (8-0) host the Houston Cougars (10-1) at John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday.

The Houston Cougars faced North Carolina A&T and walked away with a win by a score of 74-71 in their last game. Houston wrapped up the game having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (28 out of 56) and knocked down 5 out of their 18 3-point shots. From the free throw line, the Cougars buried 13 of their 19 tries for a rate of 68.4%. In the matter of pulling down rebounds, they earned 43 with 14 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 14 assists in the game in addition to creating 15 turnovers and having 6 steals. In relation to defense, Houston allowed their opponent to shoot 40.7% from the floor on 22 of 54 shooting. North Carolina A&T doled out 9 dimes and had 6 steals in this contest. Additionally, North Carolina A&T grabbed 40 rebounds (10 offensive, 30 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. North Carolina A&T finished the game at 62.5% when shooting free throws by knocking down 20 of their 32 tries. They buried 7 out of their 23 tries from downtown. When it comes to personal fouls, the Cougars ended up with 16 and North Carolina A&T totaled 20 personal fouls.

Ja'Vier Francis is someone who came through for the game. He ended up going 70.0% from the field but didn't record an assist. He was on the hardwood for 28 mins played and totaled 15 boards. He was able to score 17 points on 7 out of 10 shooting.

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Houston will play this contest with a record of 10-1 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 73.9 points per game (158th in the country) while shooting 46.3% from the field. The Cougars are shooting 32.9% on shots from distance (74 of 225) and 69.2% from the free throw line. As a unit, Houston is grabbing 40.8 boards per game and has accounted for 153 dimes so far this year, which ranks 126th in D-1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 10.8 times per game and as a squad are committing 15.5 personal fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Cougars have forced 16.4 turnovers every game and they draw 16.5 personal fouls. They are giving up 23.7% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 1st in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (49.4). The Cougars defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 31.6% (180 of 569) and they surrender 32.8 boards per game as a squad. They rank 12th in the country in giving up assists with 87 surrendered for the year.

For their last game, the Virginia Cavaliers went home victorious with a score of 55-50 when they faced James Madison. The Cavaliers were able to pull down 27 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive boards for a total of 30 in the game. They coughed it up 9 times, while earning 6 steals for this game. James Madison was called for 21 fouls in this matchup which took the Cavaliers to the free throw line for 24 shots. They were able to knock down 12 of those for a percentage of 50.0%. In terms of 3-point shots, Virginia made 5 of 21 tries (23.8%). In all, the Cavaliers finished shooting 19 for 45 from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.2%. The Cavaliers allowed James Madison to bury 15 of 55 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 27.3% for this game. They shot 30.4% from beyond the perimeter by going 7 out of 23 and ended up going 13 out of 18 from the free throw line (72.2%). In relation to rebounds, Virginia allowed James Madison to pull down 36 in all (12 offensive).

Kihei Clark pitched in for the Cavaliers in this game. He made 5 of 11 for this contest for a rate of 45.5%, and had 2 rebounds. He totaled 18 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and added 7 dimes for the contest.

Virginia has a win-loss mark of 8-0 for the campaign. As an offensive team, the Cavaliers are shooting 47.2% from the floor, which is ranked 86th in Division 1. Virginia has earned 577 points this year (72.1 per contest) and they pull down 33.1 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 15.3 times per game (87th in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 9.8 times per game. The Cavaliers commit 14.8 fouls every game and they connect on 70.8% from the charity stripe.

The Virginia defense concedes 34.4% on shots from 3-point land (55 of 160) and opponents are making 70.2% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 9.1 dimes and 31.3 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 15th and 43rd in the nation. The Cavaliers on the defensive end are ranked 12th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 57.9. They are able to force 13.4 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 39.4% from the floor (52nd in the nation).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Virginia

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