by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Feb 01, 2023
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Venue: Charles Koch Arena, Wichita, KS
Where to watch: ESPN2
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Houston -12.5
FanDuel: Houston -12.5
BetMGM: Houston -12.5
Caesars: Houston -12.5
Season record
No. 3 Houston: 20-2 (8-1 AAC)
Wichita State: 11-10 (4-5 AAC)
We’re nearing the halfway mark of the college basketball season and it’s been quite the ride so far. Will Rogers is going hard in the last 30 days with a 16-10-1 run, while Kyle Hunter has also had a strong run of form as of late at 28-24-0 (+$1,700). If they’ve been killing it as much as they were in the first half, what does the second half have in store? The only way you’re going to find out is by staying locked on bigal.com and following what our champion handicappers are up to heading into the second half. Trust us, you want to know.
Houston - Wichita State preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Houston: won 75-69 vs. Cincinnati
Wichita State: won 85-72 at East Carolina
The No. 3 Houston Cougars will try for their third straight victory on Thursday when they hit the road to take on the Wichita State Shockers at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita.
The No. 3 Houston Cougars will try for their third straight victory on Thursday when they hit the road to take on the Wichita State Shockers at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita.
Remember the years when Wichita State was dominating as the best mid-major in the country and would make wild Final Four runs? How the turns have tabled. Houston isn’t a mid-major, but they’ve taken Wichita State’s powers like the Monstars and have become the new darling everyone wants to see go far.
The Cougars, since being upset by Temple — and we’re on a collision course for another meeting in Philadelphia in one week — have rallied off two straight wins over UCF and Cincinnati, with the latter being a little more close for comfort than the Cougars would like. Houston is coming off a 75-69 win over the Bearcats on Saturday.
Jarace Walker scored a career-high 25 points, and the Cougars had to rally from an 11-point deficit to win their 20th game of the season. Clearly, there are some cracks in the armor, but when a team shoots 56 percent from the floor, you have to be doing something right.
“I was just feeling good tonight,” Walker said. “The ball was feeling good off my fingertips. I felt like everything was kind of falling. I feel like I still made the right plays. Just finding my teammates as well.
"I felt like I was real comfortable out there tonight, real confident as well.”
The Cougars have gone 6-4 against the spread in their last 10, but the last five have not shown that positive percentage, going 2-3 ATS. They were favored by 14.5 against Cincinnati, and 19.5 against Temple. Even against UCF they were favored by 10 and barely covered. I understand the want to look ahead to a revenge game against Temple, but they can’t allow themselves to do that against a program that’s known for upsets.
And even though Wichita State isn’t the same as it once was, there’s always that looming danger of facing the Shockers — for the fear of being shocked and losing a game that you shouldn’t lose.
Wichita State is coming off an 85-72 win over East Carolina on Sunday for its fourth win in six games. It was a much-needed rebound for the Shockers after losing 95-90 to the Tulane Green Wave four days prior.
Craig Porter Jr. finished with 20 points and eight rebounds as Wichita State improved to 4-5 in AAC play, while James Rojas finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. It was one of the better offensive showings for the Shockers this season, shooting 51 percent from the floor despite going just 5 of 14 from 3-point range. Defensively, they held the Pirates to 37 percent.
Wichita State has covered in three of the last four, including last game as 4.5-point favorites over ECU. They were underdogs in the two other covers to SMU and Memphis (+10.5 against the Tigers) and you should obviously expect a heavy spread in this one, too.
Prediction
Again, Houston can’t afford to look too far ahead to Temple, especially in an environment like Wichita State. If they get behind by 11 again, this could end up being some trouble, but I think Houston handles business. Houston 78, Wichita State 66
Betting trends
Houston is 54-32 ATS as a favorite the last 3 seasons.
Houston is 16-8 ATS on the road the past 3 seasons.
Houston is 30-12 ATS off a home win the last 3 seasons.
Wichita State is 13-24 ATS at home the last 3 seasons.
Wichita State is 17-21 ATS against conference opponents the last 3 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Houston:
PG: Jamal Shead
SG: Marcus Sasser
SF: Tramon Mark
PF: J'Wan Roberts
C: Jarace Walker
Wichita State:
PG: Craig Porter Jr.
SG: Jaron Pierre r.
SF: Jaykwon Walton
PF: James Rojas
C: Kenny Pohto
Injury report
Houston: Ramon Walker Jr. (personal, out), Darius Bowser (personal, questionable)
Wichita State: Quincy Ballard (back, questionable)
Houston: Ramon Walker Jr. (personal, out), Darius Bowser (personal, questionable)
Wichita State: Quincy Ballard (back, questionable)
Statistical leaders
Houston:
Points: Marcus Sasser -- 16.2
Rebounds: J'Wan Roberts -- 7.0
Assists: Jamal Shead -- 5.2
Wichita State:
Points: Jaykwon Walton -- 13.3
Rebounds: Craig Porter Jr. -- 6.2
Assists: Craig Porter Jr. -- 3.9
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Houston Cougars - Wichita State Shockers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
