The Wednesday college basketball betting menu lacks a single matchup pitting Top 25 teams against one another. But the highest-ranked team in action does face an interesting test against an instate conference rival, with No. 6 Houston putting its 12-game winning streak on the line at SMU.
With a victory Wednesday, the Cougars will solidify their position atop the American Athletic Conference standings. They also likely will see their name on the top line of the South Regional on Saturday when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee announces its progress-report preview of the tournament’s top 16 seeds (covering four regions).
Will Houston keep things rolling? Or can SMU, which is 11-0 on its home floor, become just third team this season to hand the Cougars a loss?
Props.com breaks down the Wednesday college basketball betting odds for Houston-SMU.
Odds via DraftKings and updated as of 1:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 9.
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No. 6 Houston Vs SMU
Tipoff/TV: 7 p.m. ET/ESPN2
Houston: 20-2 SU (9-0 American)/14-8 ATS
SMU: 16-5 SU (7-2 American)/10-11 ATS
Spread/Total: Houston -7/134.5
Last meeting: Houston crushed SMU 70-48 as a 9.5-point home favorite (Jan. 21, 2021)
Did You Know: It’s been 356 days since Houston last suffered a conference defeat, falling to Wichita State 68-63 (Feb. 18, 2021). Since then, the Cougars have won 16 straight American Athletic games, including last year’s conference tournament title
About Houston: The Cougars have won 12 in a row since a one-point loss at Alabama on Dec. 11. Houston’s last five victories have been double-digit blowouts, including Saturday’s 80-58 rout of Cincinnati as a seven-point road favorite. Houston is 4-1 ATS during this stretch, with an average victory margin of 21.8 points (including a 43-point home win over East Carolina). Among American Athletic programs, Houston ranks first in scoring offense (76.9 ppg), rebounds (39.8 per game), and assists (15.9), and second in field-goal shooting (46.8%), blocks (5.4), and steals (8.5).
About SMU: The Mustangs are coming off Saturday’s 72-57 loss at Wichita State as a 1.5-point road underdog, which snapped the team’s five-game winning streak (all five wins by at least eight points). Within the American Athletic Conference, SMU ranks second in 3-point proficiency (36.1%), third in scoring offense (75.1 ppg) and field-goal shooting (45.1%), and fourth in rebounds (38.5 per contest).
What’s At Stake: The Cougars (9-0) hold a two-game lead over SMU (7-2) atop the American Athletic standings. Houston, which is second in the NCAA’s NET rankings, is a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. Conversely, SMU (No. 59 NET ranking) is looking to enhance its March Madness résumé — and put pressure on Houston in the league standings — with victory over a powerhouse team.
Players To Watch
Houston forward Fabian White Jr. will be gunning for his third consecutive 20-point game Wednesday. A 6-foot-8 senior, White had 21 points and eight rebounds in Houston’s 73-62 victory against Tulane a week ago, then tallied 22 points and nine boards in Saturday’s rout of Cincinnati. White ranks third on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg), rebounds (5.8) and 3-point shooting (40.5%).
SMU guard Kendric Davis averages a team-high 19.5 points and 4.7 assists per game. The 6-foot senior will attempt to bounce back following consecutive subpar efforts against Temple and Wichita State, in which the TCU transfer shot a combined 4-for-14 for 19 points and committed 10 turnovers.
Notable Trends
- Houston is 7-3 ATS in road/neutral site games
- Houston is 5-1 ATS as a single-digit favorite
- SMU has followed a 9-2 ATS run with consecutive non-covers
- SMU is mired in ATS slumps of 5-12 at home and 1-7 as an underdog
- Under is 5-0 in SMU’s last five overall and 4-1 in its last five as an underdog
- Houston is 7-1 SU/5-2-1 ATS in the last eight series meetings
- Under is 6-2 in the last eight series meetings
Houston Vs SMU Odds and Action
Houston hit DraftKings’ Wednesday college basketball betting board at -5.5 (-120), stretched out to -7 Tuesday night, then went to -7.5 (-105) this morning. That high point lasted an hour before the line dipped to -7 (-115), and it’s been at -7 flat (-110) most of the afternoon. Houston is attracting 88% of spread bets and 77% of spread money. The total rose from 136.5 to 137.5, then reverted to -134.5 by midmorning, with 80% of bets on the Over and 60% of cash on the Under.
