Wichita State Shockers vs Houston Cougars 3/2/23 – On Thursday night, Wichita State will try to pull off an upset when it travels to No. 1 Houston for a game that could make history. The Shockers have won three of their last four matches and gave Houston a run for its money last month, only losing in a 70-61 final. Houston is on a nine-game winning streak and looks poised for the top seed in the NCAA Tournament. NCAAB online betting favors Houston to continue their winning streak to stay seated being No. 1.
Wichita State Shockers vs Houston Cougars
Date & Time: Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Location: Fertitta Center
Wichita State Shockers vs Houston Cougars Betting Odds
Wichita State
Moneyline: +1475
Spread: +18.5 (-105)
Total: 130 over (-105)
Houston
Moneyline: +1950
Spread: -18.5 (-105)
Total: 130 under (-105)
Wichita State Shockers vs Houston Cougars Analysis
Wichita State Shockers has been playing near or above 0.500 for much of this season, staying within two games of breaking even for the entire campaign. Recently, however, they’ve found their best form yet as they’ve won three out of their last four games to stay close to that 0.500 mark throughout this entire campaign. Last Thursday, they defeated SMU and Temple in consecutive games before falling by five points against Memphis. But on Sunday they rebounded with an 83-76 win at Tulane to return to 0.500 in conference play. Throughout most of this season, the Shockers had struggled on offense. Their effective field goal percentage has dropped to just No. 214, while their perimeter shooting has been lackluster at 30.0%. Houston boasts one of the nation’s best defenses, ranking fifth in adjusted efficiency ratings.
Houston Cougars has not had a particularly difficult schedule compared to some other college basketball conferences, but it looks like it could be in line for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament later this month if it can keep racking up victories. The Cougars have only lost two games all year, one against then-No. 8 Alabama in early December and the other against Temple at the end of January. They responded from Temple’s loss with an impressive nine-game winning streak, including dominating wins over Tulane and East Carolina last week. Not only are the Cougars elite on defense, but they rank fifth in adjusted offensive efficiency; ranking No. 40 for effective field goal percentage, No. 17 for turnover rate, and No. 4 in offensive rebounding rate. This will be a tough matchup for Wichita State’s defense which ranks No. 249 in turnover rate and No. 187 for rebounding.
Wichita State Shockers vs Houston Cougars Against the Spread
Over is 7-0 in Shockers last 7 games following an ATS win. Over is 7-0 in Shockers last 7 games following a straight up win. Over is 4-0 in Shockers last 4 Thursday games. Over is 5-0 in Shockers last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. Over is 7-0 in Shockers last 7 road games.
Over is 4-1 in Cougars last 5 games following an ATS loss. Cougars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than 0.600. Cougars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Cougars are 48-14-1 ATS in their last 63 games following an ATS loss. Cougars are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games.
Wichita State Shockers vs Houston Cougars Free Pick
Houston appears to be in a position of strength against AAC competition, with the only question being by how many points. On Thursday night, Wichita State is one of the few teams in the conference that has managed to stay within single digits against them – so the Cougars should have extra motivation going into this game. College basketball betting experts anticipate another dominant performance against an inconsistent Wichita State squad that has struggled throughout this campaign.
Free Pick: Houston Cougars -18.5 (-105)
