The No. 3 Houston Cougars likely spent a good amount of time trying to smooth over the one chink in their armor ahead of Wednesday’s game at the UCF Knights.
Free throw shooting, an issue in other games – including their first loss of the season, was a problem again as the Cougars suffered their first American Athletic Conference defeat Sunday at home to the Temple Owls.
The Cougars missed 10 of their 21 foul shots in the 56-55 loss, dropping their free throw percentage to 70.3%, which ranks 206th out of 352 Division I teams.
“As a team, when you start missing like that, especially some of our younger guys, start pressing,” Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, whose team also missed 10 foul shots in a six-point loss to No. 2 Alabama on Dec. 10, told the media. “We had a bad day, but we still have a good team. All of our dreams and goals are still ahead of us.”
The Knights will attempt to halt their losing streak at two games, but to do so, it will have to beat a Houston team that has had its number lately, including in a 71-65 loss on Dec. 31.
The top 3-point shooting team in the conference (35.9%), UCF struggled on that night against the Cougars’ suffocating defense, making 6 of 27 from beyond the arc.
Darius Johnson stuffed the stat sheet in the loss with 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals, but also had five turnovers, a no-no against the Cougars.
Let’s check the latest college basketball news, stats, injury reports and college basketball lines for Houston vs UCF. We’ve got plenty of NCAA basketball picks for you to consider.
Top Freshmen on Display
The American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week award has been dominated by these two teams with Houston’s Jarace Walker winning it four times and Emanuel Sharp once, and UCF’s Taylor Hendricks taking home the honor the other six weeks.
Walker, a 6-foot-8 forward from Pennsylvania, has grabbed 36 rebounds in the last four games, including matching his career-high of 12 against Temple, to raise his seasonal average to 6.6 boards, the fourth-highest mark for a freshman in Houston history.
Walker and teammate Marcus Sasser, a senior guard, have combined for a NET rating, which measures how much a team outscores an opponent per 100 possessions, of +30.75 in 598 possessions when they are on the floor together.
Houston is the +650 favorite to win the national title.
Hendricks and Kelly Need to Step Up
Johnson will miss his fifth straight game with leg injury, which means the rest of the players will have to pick up the slack for the Knights to have a chance in this game.
Hendricks, who averages 11 rebounds per 40 minutes, and C.J. Kelly, a senior who has averaged 18 points over the last five games, are the top options for UCF.
Hendricks, a 6-foot-9 forward, is a solid defender and passer, and makes 3-pointers at a decent clip, although he has been in a funk in the last month, making 25%.
The Fort Lauderdale native is 12th in the nation among freshmen in scoring (14.3 points), ninth in rebounding (7.0) and fifth in blocks (1.8) and 3-point shooting (38.7%).
Kelly, who is with his fourth school, needs 130 points for 1,000 in his career.
Houston vs UCF Game Injuries
Houston vs UCF Head-to-Head
The Cougars will try to continue their recent dominance over the Knights, which includes wins in six straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings.
Houston is 12-4 overall and 5-2 on the road vs. UCF under Sampson.
Houston vs UCF Game Information
- Game: Houston (18-2, 6-1 AAC) vs UCF (13-6, 4-3)
- Location: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Fla.
- Day/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. ET
- Houston vs UCF Live stream: TBS.com
Houston vs UCF Betting Lines
Houston vs UCF Picks and Prediction
The Cougars are laying 10 points on the NCAAB lines, a big number in a game that projects to be low-scoring. The Knights are 6-3-2 vs. the spread at home.
Houston is listed at -490 in our Las Vegas college basketball odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Cougars, you have a chance to win $20. UCF is +375, offering a chance to win $375 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Houston an 83.05% chance to win, with the Knights 21.05%.
Houston vs UCF Trends
Houston vs UCF Edge
Houston vs UCF Results
Houston vs UCF Game Summary
