The No. 2 Houston Cougars (23-2, 11-1 American) visit the SMU Mustangs (9-17, 4-9) on Thursday. Tip from Moody Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Houston vs. SMU odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Houston destroyed Tulsa 80-42 on Wednesday, covering as 28-point home favorites. It has now won 5 in a row and 9 of its last 10. The Cougars are 6-4 in their last 10 games against the spread (ATS) to improve to 16-9 ATS this season.
SMU fell to 91-89 in overtime on Sunday, covering as 6.5-point road underdogs. It has covered the spread in back-to-back games, but SMU is just 3-6-1 ATS in its previous 10 games. On this season, the Mustangs are 9-16-1 ATS.
In their first matchup this season in early January, Houston throttled SMU 87-53 covering as 20-point home favorites.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Houston at SMU odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:14 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Houston -1400 (bet $1400 to win $100) | SMU +700 (bet $100 to win $700)
- Against the spread (ATS): Houston -15.5 (-110) | SMU +15.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 137.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Houston at SMU picks and predictions
Prediction
Houston 79, SMU 62
Moneyline
PASS.
At 14 times the potential return, the moneyline is unplayable in this matchup.
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Against the spread
LEAN HOUSTON -15.5 (-110).
While 15.5 points seems like a lot, the Cougars have been playing outstanding basketball recently. They are undefeated on the road with an 8-0 record and have the best defense in college basketball, ranking 1st in both opponent points per game (55) and opponent FG percentage (35.2%).
The Cougars are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 road games, 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Thursday games, and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games against a team with a losing home record.
The favorite is also 4-1 ATS in the last 5 matchups between these 2 programs.
Over/Under
BET OVER 137.5 (-115).
The Over is 4-1 in Houston’s last 5 games and 8-2 in SMU’s last 10.
The Over is 4-0 in the Mustangs’ last 4 games following a ATS win, 4-0 in their last 4 Thursday games, 10-1 in their last 11 games following an outright loss, and 7-1 in their last 8 home games.
While Houston has a great defense, a late push from SMU rallying behind their home crowd is what is going to help the Over hit.
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