The No. 21 Washington Huskies (10-2) go head-to-head against the Houston Cougars (9-3) in the Diamond Head Classic at Stan Sheriff Center. The game can be seen on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 25, 2019.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 140 points with Washington opening as a 1-point favorite.
Houston Cougars vs. Washington Huskies Free Prediction
The Cougars come in on a high note after defeating the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in their last outing, 70-59. Houston’s rebounding was their biggest strength. The Cougars had more offensive rebounds (16 vs. seven), defensive rebounds (26 vs. 18) and total rebounds (42 vs. 25). Fabian White Jr. played a pivotal role for Houston with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The last time the Huskies played, they defeated the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, 72-61. Getting to the charity stripe was one of Washington’s biggest strengths. They made 29 trips to the line, while Hawaii went just 14 times. Isaiah Stewart was the top scorer from either team with 26 points on 13-for-21 shooting from the field.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, this will be a balanced matchup. The sweet-shooting Washington offense ranks 59th in the country in that metric at 0.537, while the stingy Houston defense is ranked 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.442).
Houston comes into the contest with records of 9-3 straight up (SU) and 6-6 against the spread (ATS). Vegas tends to set the total low when the Cougars are involved, as 58.3 percent of their games have finished over the projected point total.
Meanwhile, Washington is 10-2 SU and 7-5 ATS. Games featuring the Huskies have no tendency in regards to the projected point total, as there has been an even split between games finishing over and under.
Houston Cougars vs. Washington Huskies ATS Pick
Free Basketball Pick: ATS Winner – Houston, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
Houston ranks third in rebounds per game (43.3) while Washington ranks 144th (35.5).
The Cougars rank 90th in assists per game (13.8) while the Huskies rank 148th in assists allowed per game (13.5).
Houston ranks 11th in steals allowed per game (4.5) while Washington ranks 68th (6.0).
The Cougars rank 188th in three pointers attempted per game (19.9) while the Huskies rank 228th (18.2).
Houston ranks 12th in blocks per game (5.8) while Washington ranks fifth in blocks allowed per game (1.8).
The Cougars’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 11.6, up from 11.4 for the season.
During their last five games, the Huskies have scored an average of 80.8 points per game (6.0 above their season average) and allowed an average of 69.4 points per game (5.7 above their season average).