Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 12/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders vs Houston Cougars

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: CBSSN

The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (7-5) are on their way to Fertitta Center on Saturday where they will take on the Houston Cougars (7-3).

The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders played Southwestern Adventist and took home the win by a score of 117-63 in their last game. In relation to fouls, the Islanders walked away with 13 while Southwestern Adventist recorded 9 fouls. They also made 10 out of their 26 shots from 3-point land. Southwestern Adventist walked away from this one shooting 69.2% at the free throw line by knocking down 9 of their 13 shots. On top of that, Southwestern Adventist pulled down 12 rebounds (5 offensive, 7 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Southwestern Adventist doled out 13 assists and had 8 steals in this matchup. In relation to defense, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi allowed the other team to shoot 39.3% from the floor on 22 out of 56 shooting. They also recorded 34 assists for the contest as well as forcing the opposition into 18 turnovers and earning 15 steals. When it comes to hauling in boards, they earned a total of 45 with 15 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Islanders converted 10 of their 13 tries for a percentage of 76.9%. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ended the game having earned a 66.2% field goal percentage (49 of 74) and converted 9 out of their 23 3-pointers.

Garry Clark is one player who was a factor in the matchup. He scored 19 points on 9 of 12 shooting. He played 18 minutes and also grabbed 7 boards. He shot 75.0% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist.

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Texas A&M-Corpus Christi enters this one with a win-loss mark of 7-5 for the campaign. They are averaging 83.0 points per contest (46th in the country) while connecting on 51.9% from the floor. The Islanders are hitting 34.0% on shots from beyond the arc (73 of 215) and 62.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is collecting 37.1 boards per contest and has totaled 210 assists so far this season, which ranks 18th in college in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 12.7 times per game and as a unit they commit 18.8 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Islanders have forced 15.9 turnovers per game while drawing 17.4 fouls. They are ranked 212th in college in giving up assists with 150 conceded on the year. The Islanders defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 41.6% (281 of 675) and they relinquish 32.3 boards per contest as a unit. They relinquish 29.4% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 99th in the country in opponents points per game (67.8).

The last time they took the court, the Houston Cougars got the victory with a final of 78-49 against Toledo. The Cougars were able to corral 32 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 46 in this game. They coughed it up 11 times, while getting 10 steals in the game. Toledo committed 15 fouls for the game which got the Cougars to the charity stripe for 19 shots. They were able to knock down 14 of those for a percentage of 73.7%. With regard to shooting from 3-point land, Houston knocked down 4 out of 24 tries (16.7%). Overall, the Cougars ended up going 30 for 67 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.8%. The Cougars allowed Toledo to make 16 of their 54 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 29.6% for the game. They wrapped up this game 27.8% from 3-point land by going 5 out of 18 and finished the game at 12 of 18 at the charity stripe (66.7%). When discussing rebounding, Houston permitted Toledo to snag 23 overall (4 offensive).

Terrance Arceneaux ended up being a factor for the Cougars for the contest. He made 7 of 12 for this game giving him a rate of 58.3%, and accounted for 9 rebounds. He tallied 16 points in his 27 minutes of playing time and totaled 1 assist in this game.

Houston has a mark of 7-3 this season. The Cougars have committed 17.7 fouls every game while shooting 73.5% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 13.6 times per game (217th in Division 1) and they turn it over 9.5 times per game. Houston has 771 pts so far this season (77.1 per game) and they grab 39.7 rebounds per contest. As an offensive team, the Cougars are connecting on 45.3% from the floor, which is 184th in the nation.

The Houston defense gives up 29.2% from downtown (68 of 233) and their opponents are knocking down 70.3% of their foul shots. They allow 9.6 dimes and 32.6 boards per contest, which is 16th and 94th in college hoops. The Cougars are ranked 1st in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 55.7. They are forcing 14.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 34.3% from the field (2nd in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Houston

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