Bearcats vs. Cougars Prediction
The 24th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats will square off with the 11th-ranked Houston Cougars this afternoon in the American Athletic Conference Tournament title game. Will Houston prevail again after winning the outright conference title over Cincinnati on the last day of the regular season?
Game Snapshot
653 Cincinnati Bearcats vs. 654 Houston Cougars
Sunday, March 17, 2019
FedExForum at 3:15PM ET
TV: ESPN
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Cougars are a 4.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 128.5 points. As of Sunday morning, 78 percent of public bets are pouring in on Houston. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Bearcats hold off Shockers
Cincinnati claimed a 66-63 victory over Wichita State Saturday to advance to the AAC Tournament championship game. The Bearcats (27-6) trailed by three at halftime before outscoring the Shockers by a count of 37-31 after the break. Cincinnati shot 25-of-64 from the floor, 6-of-16 from 3-point land plus 10-of-21 at the free throw line. Nysier Brooks paced the Bearcats with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting plus 3-of-8 at the charity stripe. He also brought down nine rebounds. Tre Scott tallied 12 points and eight boards. Jarron Cumberland added 11 points, six caroms and four assists.
Cougars edge Tigers
Houston gritted out a 61-58 win against Memphis Saturday afternoon to punch a ticked to the AAC Tourney title contest. The Cougars (31-2) led 36-26 at halftime before holding off a Tigers rally attempt after the break. Corey Davis Jr. was the lone Houston player in double figures for scoring as he contributed 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting including 3-of-8 from 3-point distance. He also registered five rebounds and two blocked shots. The Cougars shot 21-of-57 from the floor, 5-of-19 from 3-point range plus 14-of-27 at the charity stripe.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Cincinnati
The Bearcats are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games overall. Cincinnati is 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings.
Houston
The Cougars are 33-16-2 ATS in their last 51 games overall. Houston is 5-0 ATS in its last five Sunday games.
Prediction:
The Cougars eased to an 85-69 victory on the road at Cincinnati last Sunday to earn the outright conference championship. While Cincinnati would probably love some revenge, Houston is the clear cream of the crop in the AAC. The Cougars also defeated the Bearcats 65-58 earlier this season at home and the fact of the matter is that only two teams have solved Houston – Temple and Central Florida. Both teams play at a slow pace, with the Bearcats clocking in at one of the slowest paces in the nation. With Houston having a defense that is borderline elite, it almost helps it to be playing an offense that is so slow and deliberate. Go with the Cougars to defeat the Bearcats for a third time this season and cover the spread in the process.
NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: HOUSTON COUGARS -4.5