The first-ever Players Era Festival holiday tournament tips off around college basketball on Tuesday in Las Vegas highlighted by a top-10 matchup between No. 6 Houston and No. 9 Alabama with the Cougars as short favorites on the NCAAB odds.
Houston vs. Alabama: 2024 NCAAB Expert Analysis in the Week 4
| Opening NCAAB Lines Subject to Change: Houston -4 (total 149.5) Expert Prediction: Houston 79, Alabama 77 |
Houston Cougars NCAAB Line -185
Houston (3-1) comes off an 80-44 home blowout of Hofstra on Friday and the Pride are a very good mid-major program. Hofstra had issues with Houston’s size and athleticism throughout and settled for outside shots in the first half, connecting on 4 of 13 3s, but it also went nearly seven minutes without a field goal as Houston built a 48-18 halftime lead.
.@UHouston in Top 10 of both national polls for 44th straight week
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) November 25, 2024
– Rise to #⃣6⃣ in @AP_Top25
– Steady at #⃣7⃣ in @usatodaysports Coaches poll
NEXT – vs #9/9 Alabama, 7 pm CST TUESDAY, @Players_Era Festival, @MGMGrand Garden Arena, Las Vegas#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/44L8RdoTgd
The Trio
The Cougars’ guard trio of LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan put the clamps on, holding Hofstra to 30.8% shooting and forcing 15 turnovers. Hofstra’s three guards combined to score just 26 points — and Jean Aranguren, who came in averaging 18 points, was held scoreless.
Kelvin Sampson
“People have a tendency to say, when we beat a team like that, well, they’re no good,” Coach Sampson said in the postgame press conference. “That team’s pretty good. Sometimes it’s not necessarily them. Maybe it’s the team that’s playing against them. It’s pretty good. And tonight we were pretty good.”
Joseph Tugler
Houston forward Tugler had 17 points off the bench and guard Emanuel Sharp added 16 points for the Cougars. Tugler finished 6-of-6 from the floor, and Sharp was 5-of-5 on 3-pointers as Houston (3-1) shot 47%, including 12-of-24 from 3. Guard Terrance Arceneaux had 12 points off the bench as well for Houston, which won its 25th straight at home. It finished with 20 assists on 29 made field goals.
Emanuel Sharp
Sharp leads the Cougars with 11.8 points and 1.8 steals per game. He is one of eight Cougars averaging 7.0+ points per game, joining guard LJ Cryer (11.3 ppg), forward J’Wan Roberts (10.3), guard Terrance Arceneaux (9.5), Uzan (8.8), Tugler (8.5), guard Mercy Miller (7.7) and guard Mylik Wilson (7.5).
With the next win in which he competes, Roberts will tie with forward Fabian White Jr. as the winningest student-athlete in program history. Roberts owns a 120-20 record during his Houston career while White posted a 121-29 mark from 2017 to 2022. Roberts is currently tied for second in Houston history with former point guard Jamal Shead (120-18 record). Sharp now leads the Cougars and the Big 12 Conference and ranks second in the nation with a 73.3 3-point field goal percentage (11-of-15).
This marked the 89th consecutive week in which Houston was ranked, the nation’s longest active streak and extending its school record. Houston also has appeared in the Top 10 in each of the last 44 AP polls to lead the country and extend its school record.
Players Era Festival
This will be the first of three games in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week. The Cougars meet Notre Dame for the first time since the 1989-90 season Wednesday before closing the event against an opponent to be determined Saturday. Tuesday’s game will be the first time Houston has faced the #9 (AP) team since an 83-82 loss at #9/9 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Dec. 11, 2021. The Cougars have lost their last five games against the #9 (AP) team. Houston’s last win against the #9 (AP) team was a 79-76 win over #9 SMU inside Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston on March 3, 1985.
^Alabama Crimson Tide NCAAB Line +150
Alabama (4-1) trounced No. 25 Illinois 100-87 last Wednesday in its most recent game in a matchup of Elite Eight teams from last season. The Crimson Tide had four players reach double figures, with Grant Nelson leading the way with a season-high 23 points to go with a team-best eight boards. Labaron Philon closed the game with a near triple-double of 16 points, nine assists and seven boards, while Aden Holloway (18) and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (16) each finished in double digits. All-American guard Mark Sears was scoreless in a stunner.
Alabama’s bench played a crucial role in the victory, outscoring the Fighting Illini’s reserves, 39-24. The Crimson Tide also boasted an edge in the paint, with 50 points to Illinois’ 38. Alabama surpassed the century mark for the second time this season and for the 23rd time in Nate Oats’ tenure. The Tide distributed the ball well, totaling a season-high 23 assists on 39 made field goals. UA took care of the basketball, finishing with a season-low seven turnovers.
Nate Oats
“On offense, I thought we got to the rim all night which was huge, there were lots of positives all game. We shot the ball well from some of our guys. Grant (Nelson) got his confidence going early and Labaron (Philon) has been playing really hard and almost had a triple double. Overall, the ball movement was a lot better tonight – 23 total assists to only seven turnovers was big for us. A lot of positives to take away from tonight but there is still plenty of things for us to improve upon,” Oats said.
Scored Points
Alabama has scored 100 points or more in a game on 23 separate occasions under Oats. Prior to Oats’ arrival, it took the Crimson Tide 31 years (1988-2019) to match that same feat. Philon was named SEC Freshman of the Week. He’s averaging 12.8 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds this season, ranks third in the SEC in assists per game (5.2) and ranks fourth among Division I freshmen and is the first Alabama freshman since Ronald Steele (2004) to have at least 26 assists in their first five games of the season.
The Record
Alabama is the only team in Division I that has three players on its roster that has started 100 career games or more throughout their collegiate careers in Chris Youngblood (118 starts), Sears (114 starts) and Clifford Omoruyi (104 starts) Omoruyi is the first Alabama player since JaMychal Green (2009) to have at least 10 blocks and at least 37 rebounds in their first five games of the season.
This week in the polls. pic.twitter.com/LFodjVZVmH
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) November 25, 2024
The Tide are 19-26 under Oats in AP Top-25 matchups and 7-8 in neutral site games. In Alabama’s two wins over the last four seasons against Houston, both games have been decided by an average of 3.5 points (Alabama won 83-82 in 2021 and 71-65 in 2022). The Crimson Tide-Cougars matchup features four players that were named to the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List in Alabama’s Nelson and Sears along with Houston’s LJ Cryer and J’Wan Roberts.
^How to Bet Houston vs. Alabama Odds NCAA Basketball
When: Tuesday, 8 PM ET
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
TV: TBS
Stream: TBS app
Houston vs. Alabama Last Meeting
The all-time series is tied 3-3. The schools last played in the 2022-23 season with Alabama winning 71-65 in Houston when the Tide were ranked No. 8 and the Cougars No. 1. In neutral-site meetings like this one UH leads the series 3-1.
^Feast week is upon us 🦃
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 25, 2024
Here are the games and events you MUST watch according to @TheAndyKatz 👇 pic.twitter.com/MXAjs50igK
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2020 Houston vs UCF NCAA Basketball
The two best basketball teams in Conference USA this season might be No. 6 Houston and unranked Central Florida, in that order. They square off Saturday afternoon from Orlando, with the Cougars expected to be short favorites on the NCAAB odds.
How to Bet Houston at Central Florida NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info
- When: Saturday, noon ET
- Where: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando
- TV: ABC
- Stream: ESPN app
- Radio:com
- Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA (Houston will be favored)
Last Meeting
The teams played just once last season and Houston was a 78-63 home winner. Nate Hinton dominated with 20 points and 16 rebounds. He’s now in the NBA. Houston led 37-33 at halftime and saw UCF cut its lead to two points twice in the early going of the second half. Frank Bertz cut the gap to 47-45 with a 3-pointer at 13:40 only to see Houston take off on a 12-1 run over the next four-plus minutes. DeJon Jarreau made 7 of 8 from the line in that stretch. Dazon Ingram had 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Knights.
Why Bet on Houston? | 2020 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis
The Cougars (6-0) opened their AAC schedule on Tuesday with a 76-50 home rout of Temple. Junior guard Quentin Grimes had 22 points and seven rebounds, and senior forward Justin Gorham had 14 points and 12 boards.
Grimes scored at least 20 points for the third straight game as the Cougars shot 48 percent, including 10 of 26 on 3-pointers. Junior forward Reggie Chaney had 13 points and Tramon Mark scored 12 for Houston. The Cougars played once again without last year’s leading scorer Caleb Mills, who has played in just two games so far this season. The 6-foot-3-inch guard has been hampered by an ankle injury for most of the season but reportedly will play Saturday. He averaged 13.2 ppg last year.
Houston knocked down 10 3-pointers vs. Temple, the second time this season Houston has converted 10 or more 3-pointers in a game. Houston has not allowed an opponent to score 60 or more points in five of its six games this season. Houston outrebounded Temple, 43-26, extending its streak of not losing the rebounding battle to 36 games. The Cougars have not been outrebounded by an opponent since Kentucky accomplished that, 36-23, during the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Mo., on March 29, 2019
Tuesday marked the largest conference opening win since Jan. 16, 2008, when the Houston defeated SMU, 99-71. Houston is 14-1 when competing as No. 6 team in Associated Press poll. The Cougars have won nine consecutive games when playing as the No. 6 (AP) team. Houston’s lone loss as a No. 6 (AP) team was a 69-64 setback at USC on Dec. 7, 1968.
Houston is 6-0 for the second time in the last three years. This is the fifth time in history Houston has started 6-0. UH has had three players reach double-digit scoring marks in five consecutive games. Grimes has three consecutive 20-point outings. It’s is the first time a Houston player has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games since Rob Gray in 2017.
Why Bet on Central Florida? | 2020 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis
Central Florida (3-1) beat Cincinnati 75-70 on Tuesday in Orlando. Senior Brandon Mahan knocked down three key three-pointers to fuel a UCF run early in the second half as the Knights pulled away from a halftime tie.
The trio of Mahan (game-high 25 points, team-high 10 rebounds), freshman Isaiah Adams (15 points, 13 in the second half) and sophomore Darin Green Jr. (12 points) combined for 52 of the Knights’ points. Adams, the first Florida Mr. Basketball to sign at UCF, has made an immediate impact with the Knights. Adams currently leads The American with 2.3 steals per game.
“I liked our poise at the end of the game,” said Knight head coach Johnny Dawkins of Tuesday’s win. “They were going to make a run and they made their run. We needed guys to step up and make big plays and several guys did that for us. You have to have that type of composure at the end of a ballgame. We’ve been growing up some.”
UCF shot 53.6 percent (15 of 28) from the floor after intermission, while limiting the Bearcats to 41.1 during those final 20 minutes. The Knights notched 26 points overall off turnovers, compared to seven for the visitors.
The Knights already have an upset of then-No. 15 Florida State this season, coming last Saturday in Tallahassee. While it marked the first ranked opponent UCF has defeated this season, it was the fifth that the Knights have taken down since Dawkins took over for the 2016-17 season. Prior to Dawkins’ arrival at UCF, the program had won three games against ranked opponents from 1984-2016.
The Knights are 8-46 all-time against ranked opponents, but 5-12 against ranked teams under Dawkins.
Expert College Basketball Prediction
Houston 69, Central Florida 63
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