The No. 14 ranked Houston Cougars head to the Devlin Fieldhouse to face off against the Tulane Green Wave on Tuesday night.
This AAC matchup has been very one-sided in recent years and oddsmakers expect the Cougars to cruise to another victory with college basketball lines opening with Houston as an 8.5-point road favorite.
Here are our best free Houston vs. Tulane college basketball picks and predictions for Wednesday, February 23, with tipoff at 8 p.m. ET.
Houston vs Tulane odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
This line opened with Houston at -8.5 and the Over/Under at 138. Early money has come in on the Under, shifting the total to 137.5, while the line has held steady as of 10:15 a.m. ET.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Houston vs Tulane predictions
Predictions made on 2/23/2022 at 10:15 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Houston vs Tulane game info
• Location: Avron B. Fogelman Arena, New Orleans, LA
• Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2022
• Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN+
Houston at Tulane betting preview
Injuries
Houston: Marcus Sasser G (Out), Tramon Mark G (Out).
Tulane: Devon Baker G (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Green Wave are 9-27 ATS in their last 36 home games against a team with a road winning percentage of greater than .600. Find more NCAA betting trends for Houston vs. Tulane.
Houston vs Tulane picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Houston Cougars were rolling through conference play just two weeks ago, going a perfect 9-0 SU (5-4) and fresh off a 80-58 beatdown of Cincinnati on the road. Then they got derailed by back-to-back losses to SMU and Memphis, rebounded with a win against UCF, and most recently held on for a 76-74 overtime victory against Wichita State on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Tulane has won five of its last seven games, going 6-1 ATS over that span.
The Cougars lost leading scorer Marcus Sasser (17.7 points per game) and key reserve Tramon Mark to season-ending injuries before Christmas but have remained very efficient on the offensive end of the floor. They rank 11th in the country by averaging 111.1 points per 100 possessions. Although they haven't shot the ball well in their last three games, they should be able to get going against a Tulane squad that ranks 140th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom.
Tulane has been better on offense, ranking 78th in adjusted offensive efficiency, but it won't be easy to get open looks against a Houston team that defends extremely well. The Cougars rank first in the country in opponent field goal percent (36.6%) and are fifth in scoring defense (58.6 ppg allowed). They also held the Green Wave to a 33 FG% (including just 4-19 shooting from three-point range) when these teams met up three weeks ago.
The Cougars also dominated the boards in that contest, boasting a plus-11 rebounding margin. With Houston 18th in the country in rebounding rate and Tulane ranking just 347th, expect a similar situation this time around. Back Houston on the spread.
Prediction: Houston -8.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
Tulane guards Jalen Cook (18.1 ppg) and Jaylen Forbes (16.7 ppg) are two of the four highest-scoring players in the AAC, while big man Kevin Cross (14.1 ppg) is second in the conference with a 52.4 FG%. That said, there is a massive scoring drop-off after those three.
The Green Wave have shot less than 40 percent from the field in five of their last 11 games and that sort of inconsistent shooting is tough to trust against one of the top defensive teams in the nation. They have also been extremely reliant on their 3-point shooting this season and will have a tough time converting from long range against a Cougars squad that holds foes to a 29.4 3PT%.
With the Cougars also playing at one of the slowest tempos around, we're leaning towards the Under.
Prediction: Under 137.5 (-110)
Best bet
These teams faced off in Houston three weeks ago, with the Cougars winning 73-62 but failing to cover as massive 18.5-point home faves. That makes the 8.5-point spread today seem like a bit of an over-correction even with recent momentum and home-court advantage now flipped.
It's also worth noting that the Cougars are 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings between these conference foes and that in the two games they didn't cover, they still managed to win by double-digits. We'll happily grab Houston as chalk with less than 10 points.
Pick: Houston -8.5 (-110)
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