Texas State Bobcats vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 12/21/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Texas State Bobcats vs Houston Cougars

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

The Houston Cougars (11-0) are welcoming the Texas State Bobcats (6-5) at Fertitta Center on Thursday.

The Texas State Bobcats faced off with LeTourneau and notched a win by a score of 110-68 in their last game. In the matter of fouls, the Bobcats ended up finishing with 9 while LeTourneau racked up 12 fouls. They also converted 9 out of their 24 tries from downtown. LeTourneau finished the game at 75.0% at the free throw line by converting 3 of their 4 shots. On top of that, LeTourneau grabbed 25 rebounds (8 offensive, 17 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. LeTourneau earned 9 dimes and had 4 steals for the matchup. In regard to the defense, Texas State allowed the other team to shoot 41.2% from the field on 28 of 68 shooting. They also recorded 26 assists for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and having 5 steals. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 40 with 12 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Bobcats converted 8 of their 14 attempts for a rate of 57.1%. Texas State ended the game with a 66.7% field goal percentage (46 out of 69) and knocked down 10 of their 19 shots from downtown.

Brandon Love is one guy who was a contributor in the matchup. He went 76.9% from the field and also distributed 2 assists. He was on the court for 21 minutes played and pulled down 2 boards. He left the arena with 21 points on 10 out of 13 shooting.

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Texas State enters this matchup with a record of 6-5 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 73.0 points per outing (234th in Division 1) while shooting 45.8% from the field. The Bobcats are connecting on 32.0% on 3-pointers (55 of 172) and 64.4% from the free throw line. As a team, Texas State is grabbing 38.2 rebounds per game and has tallied 149 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 185th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 13.2 times per game and as a team they commit 19.5 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Bobcats are able to force 13.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.1 fouls. They rank 112th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 125 conceded for the campaign. The Bobcats defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 41.8% (260 of 622) and they surrender 33.6 boards per game as a basketball team. They are relinquishing 28.9% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 125th in college basketball in points per game allowed (68.5).

For their last game, the Houston Cougars walked away with a victory by a final of 70-66 when they played Texas A&M. In reference to team rebounding, Houston allowed Texas A&M to snag 33 in all (14 offensive). They finished 33.3% from beyond the perimeter via 9 out of 27 and finished the contest at 15 out of 22 from the charity stripe (68.2%). The Cougars permitted Texas A&M to bury 21 out of 55 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.2% for the game. When the final whistle was blown, the Cougars finished 26 out of 61 from the field which gave them a percentage of 42.6%. Concerning shots from distance, Houston made 11 of 27 tries (40.7%). They were able to make 7 of the free throws for a percentage of 87.5%. Texas A&M had 13 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 8 attempts. They coughed it up 10 times, while earning 2 steals in this contest. The Cougars corralled 19 defensive boards and 15 offensive boards for a total of 34 in this matchup.

Emanuel Sharp ended up being important for the Cougars in this matchup. He converted 7 out of 17 in the game for a rate of 41.2%, and had 6 rebounds. He accumulated 21 points in his 35 mins on the court, but finished this game without an assist.

Houston has a record of 11-0 for the campaign. As an offensive team, the Cougars are hitting on 43.5% from the floor, which ranks 245th in college basketball. Houston has scored 834 pts on the campaign (75.8 per contest) and they pull down 41.5 boards per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.5 times per game (122nd in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 9.4 times per game. The Cougars have committed 18.2 fouls per game and they go 65.6% from the free throw line.

The Cougars on the defensive end are ranked 2nd in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 51.2. They are able to force 17.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 35.3% from the floor (2nd in D-1). The Houston defense gives up 28.2% on 3-point attempts (62 of 220) and opponents are making 62.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 10.7 assists and 32.0 total rebounds per game, which is 50th and 61st in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Texas State

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