Houston @ Louisiana State preview
Pete Maravich Assembly Center
Last Meeting ( Nov 29, 2016 ) Houston 65, Louisiana State 84
Houston aims for its eighth straight victory – and second over an SEC opponent this month – when it visits LSU on Wednesday. Houston is off to its best start since beginning the 2007-08 season with an 11-1 record.
The Cougars have won four games by double digits during their winning streak, including a 91-65 home rout of Arkansas on Dec. 2. They would love to keep the streak going by avenging last season’s 84-65 loss at LSU. The Tigers have won two straight following a pair of losses and are coming off a 97-84 victory over UNC Wilmington on Sunday. Freshman Tremont Waters just missed a triple-double with 20 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds while Duop Reath scored 30 off the bench against the Seahawks.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, SEC Network
ABOUT HOUSTON (8-1): After leading the American Athletic Conference in scoring last season, guard Rob Gray (21.6 points) sits atop that list again this campaign. Gray and Devin Davis (13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds) both shoot better than 50 percent, and the former is 17-for-35 from 3-point range. Reserve guard Wes VanBeck gives the Cougars a spark off the bench, averaging 11 points.
ABOUT LSU (5-2): The Tigers are playing without one of their top scorers in Brandon Sampson (ankle), but Waters (18.3 points, 6.6 assists) and Reath (14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds) have picked up the slack. Skylar Mays (12.1 points) also averages double digits in points, and he and Waters both get to the foul line often - and take advantage. LSU’s weakness has been at the defensive end, where opponents shoot a robust 46.8 percent and average 78.6 points.
TIP-INS
1. The Tigers have shot at least 50 percent from the floor in all five of their wins.
2. LSU leads the nation in 2-point field-goal percentage (63.1 percent) and is 45-for-74 inside the arc over its last two games.
3. The Cougars, who have outrebounded their first nine opponents, haven’t beat 10 straight foes on the boards since doing it in 19 consecutive contests to close the 1976-77 season.
PREDICTION: Houston 79, LSU 76