The No. 4 Houston Cougars (10-1) and the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers (8-0) meet Saturday at John Paul Jones in Charlottesville, Va. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Houston vs. Virginia odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The Cougars fell to Alabama Dec. 10, and Houston tumbled from No. 1 as a result. Houston rebounded with a 74-46 win over North Carolina A&T last time out, cashing the Under for the 4th-straight time, and 8th time in the past 9 outings.
The Cavaliers edged James Madison 55-50 last time out, cashing the Under for the 4th time in the past 5 contests. To make matters worse, Virginia could be without G Reece Beekman (hamstring), the team’s 4th-leading scorer with 10.0 PPG. He is also 2nd with 4.6 APG, while leading the team with 85.7% from the free-throw line.
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Houston at Virginia odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:50 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Houston -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Virginia +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
- Against the spread (ATS): Houston -2.5 (-115) | Virginia +2.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 113.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Houston at Virginia picks and predictions
Prediction
Houston 58, Virginia 54
Moneyline
HOUSTON (-150) heads to Virginia (+125) as road favorites, and a big reason for that might be the fact the Cavaliers will be without Beekman. The Hoos have 4 players averaging 10.0 or more points per game, and Beekman is one of them. UVA can’t afford to lose a good chunk of scoring and compete with a top-5 team. Virginia will take its first loss of the season.
Against the spread
HOUSTON -2.5 (-115) has posted a 4-1 ATS mark in the past 5 games on the road, while going 17-6 ATS in the previous 23 games overall dating back to last season. The Cougars are 11-5 ATS in the past 16 games against winning teams, too.
Virginia +2.5 (-105) has failed to cover the past 4 games overall, while going 2-7-1 ATS in the previous 10 at JPJA. It’s also 0-4 ATS in the past 4 games after a SU win, and 1-4-1 ATS in the past 6 following a non-cover, too.
Over/Under
UNDER 113.5 (-115) is the lean, ever so slightly.
The Under is 19-6-1 in the past 26 games overall for UH dating back to last season, while going 4-1-1 in the past 6 games on the road.
The Under is 4-1 in the past 5 games overall for UVA, too, while hitting in each of the past 4 games at home. These teams both play a strong brand of defense, and points will be at a premium Saturday.
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