Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 2/8/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs Houston Cougars

Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (5-17) are headed to Fertitta Center on Wednesday where they will take on the Houston Cougars (22-2).

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane faced Wichita State and took a loss by a final of 86-75 in their last game. Tulsa ended the contest with a 42.4% field goal percentage (25 of 59) and made 12 out of their 30 3-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Golden Hurricane made 13 of their 21 tries for a percentage of 61.9%. In regard to rebounding, they compiled a total of 31 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 11 assists in the game as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and earning 4 steals. Concerning defending, Tulsa allowed 51.5% from the field on 35 of 68 shooting. Wichita State distributed 20 dimes and had 7 steals in this contest. Moreover, Wichita State pulled down 41 rebounds (10 offensive, 31 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Wichita State ended up going 60.0% from the free throw line by converting 9 of their 15 attempts. They also knocked down 7 of 23 attempts from distance. When talking about personal fouls, the Golden Hurricane left the arena with 16 and Wichita State accounted for 14 personal fouls.

Tim Dalger is one player who came through in this contest. He totaled 24 points on 7 out of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 27 minutes and totaled 7 rebounds. He finished 50.0% from the field and also recorded 1 assist.

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Tulsa enters this contest with a mark of 5-17 for the year. They are averaging 68.9 points per game (251st in the nation) while hitting 42.8% from the field. The Golden Hurricane are shooting 32.2% from downtown (177 of 549) and 65.6% from the charity stripe. As a team, Tulsa is pulling down 32.6 boards per contest and has accounted for 269 dimes this year, which ranks 317th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 13.4 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 16.3 personal fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Golden Hurricane are forcing their opponents into 12.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.6 personal fouls. They surrender 30.0% on shots from downtown and they rank 344th in college hoops in points per game allowed (76.9). Golden Hurricane defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 46.4% (625 of 1,348) and they relinquish 39.0 rebounds per contest as a group. They rank 295th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 343 relinquished this year.

In their last game, the Houston Cougars got the victory with a final of 81-65 when they faced Temple. The Cougars were able to pull down 19 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 25 in the matchup. They also gave up possession 8 times, while earning 9 steals for this contest. Temple committed 17 personal fouls for this game which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for a total of 20 tries. They were able to convert 14 of the free throws for a percentage of 70.0%. When talking about shots from 3-point land, Houston knocked down 9 of 21 attempts (42.9%). When this game wrapped up, the Cougars walked away from this one shooting 29 for 52 from the field which had them sitting at 55.8%. The Cougars permitted Temple to convert 20 of their 51 tries from the field which had them sitting at 39.2% in the matchup. They finished shooting 44.4% from downtown by shooting 12 out of 27 and ended up going 13 out of 18 at the free throw line (72.2%). In reference to rebounding, Houston allowed Temple to get 23 in total (8 offensive).

Jarace Walker ended up having an impact for the Cougars in this game. He converted 8 out of 12 in the matchup giving him a rate of 66.7%, and added 6 rebounds. He tallied 23 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and earned 1 assist in this matchup.

Houston has a win-loss record of 22-2 for the campaign. The Cougars have committed 15.8 fouls every game and they shoot 70.3% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 14.7 times per game (85th in the nation) and they are turning it over 9.6 times per game. Houston has scored 1,810 pts for the campaign (75.4 per contest) and they snag 38.4 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Cougars are connecting on 47.3% from the field, which ranks them 44th in D-1.

The Cougars on the defensive side of the court are 3rd in college hoops in points given up per game with 55.6. They are forcing 14.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 35.5% from the field (2nd in college basketball). The Houston defense gives up 27.2% on 3-point attempts (156 of 574) and opponents are making 71.7% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 9.8 dimes and 31.7 boards per contest, which ranks them 16th and 54th in Division 1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tulsa

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