Houston Cougars vs Virginia Cavaliers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/17/2022

Game Time: 2:00 pm ET, Saturday, December 17, 2022

Venue:  John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Houston -1.5, Virginia +1.5; Over/Under:  112 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Houston -1.5, Virginia +1.5; Over/Under:  112 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Houston -1.5, Virginia +1.5; Over/Under:  112 points

 

Houston Cougars:  10-1 (0-0) (1st place, AAC)

Virginia Cavaliers:  8-0 (1-0) (1st place, ACC)

 

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Houston Cougars:  9-1  last 10

Virginia Cavaliers:  8-0  last 10

 

Houston is coming into this game with a 10-1 record overall and they are 1-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a win against the North Carolina A&T Aggies in their last game. Marcus Sasser and Ja'Vier Francis each led the team in points in that game with 17 while Emanuel Sharp was next on the team with 10 points. Jamal Shead led the team in assists in that game with 4 while Ja'Vier Francis led the team in rebounds with 15. They were 49.1% from the field, 27.8% from 3-point range, and 68.4% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 73.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 49.4 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 7-4 this season and their O/U record is 2-9.

 

 

Virginia is coming into this game with an 8-0 record overall and they are 5-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on an 8 game winning streak with wins coming against the NC Central Eagles, the Monmouth Hawks, the Baylor Bears, the Illinois Fighting Illini, the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks, the Michigan Wolverines, the Florida State Seminoles, and the James Madison Dukes in their last game. Kihei Clark led the team in points in that game with 18 while Jayden Gardner was next on the team with 14 points. Kihei Clark led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Jayden Gardner led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 42.2% from the field, 23.8% from 3-point range, and 50% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 72.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 57.9 PPG against them. Virginia has an ATS record of 3-5 this season and their O/U record is 4-4.

The current betting odds have Virginia listed as a 1.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Virginia is ranked as one of the best teams in the country right now and they have had a very strong start to their season with a perfect 8-0 record and they are also undefeated at home through 5 games. Houston has also had a very strong start to their season with a 10-1 record and they have even played a road game already winning that one too. They haven't had a very strong schedule though with all 10 of their wins coming against teams that are not currently ranked and their only game against a ranked opponent was a 6 point loss at home to the 4th ranked Alabama. Virginia is ranked even higher as they are the 2nd ranked team in the country and they are still undefeated with some of the best defensive play in the country too. Scoring points will be at a premium in this game with a very good defensive Virginia team at home. Houston has not played well against tough opponents this year and Virginia will be their toughest opponent yet with that very solid defensive play, making Houston work for every single point they get. The best way to place a bet here is on Virginia to cover the spread in this game and pull off the upset here at home.

 

Houston Virginia Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, December 17, 2022 (2:00 pm ET start time) is Virginia 59 Houston 56.

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Houston Cougars: 50-29 ATS in all games. 16-2 ATS off a no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite. 9-2 UNDER in all games.

Virginia Cavaliers: 10-20 ATS after allowing 60 points or less. 17-8 UNDER after 2 straight wins by 6 points or less. 30-21 UNDER after 8 or more consecutive wins.

 

 

Houston Cougars:  D. Bowser (C) Out indefinitely - Illness. M. Wilson (G) out for season - Redshirt.

Virginia Cavaliers:  R. Beekman (G) Doub Sat - Hamstring.

 

 

"That’s a top-ranked team in the nation, so no shame in losing to a really, really good Alabama team. But disappointed, obviously. We haven’t lost a lot in this building. Give Alabama credit. They did a great job in that second half. We could have played better, but we’ve got to stay with it. It’s a long season. We’ve played 10 games. Last time I checked we’ve got 22 more, so we’ll keep working at it.” - Kelvin Sampson after his team’s loss against Alabama.

 

 

“You want to put yourself in those spots because you learn a lot. And everyone’s good for the most part in college basketball, but these games create a unique environment that is something you want to get to as the season goes on.” - Tony Bennett on his team’s non-conference schedule this season.

 

 

 

T. Mark 

J. Roberts 

M. Sasser 

J. Shead 

J. Walker

 

R. Beekman 

K. Clark 

A. Franklin 

J. Gardner 

K. Shedrick

 

 

PPG: M. Sasser (16.2)

APG: J. Shead (5.7)

Reb/G: J. Roberts (7.1)

 

PPG: J. Gardner (11.6)

APG: K. Clark (5)

Reb/G: J. Gardner (6.4)

 

Coaches:

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (9th season)

Virginia Cavaliers: Tony Bennett (14th season)