The No. 4 Houston Cougars (10-1) and the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers (8-0) meet Saturday at John Paul Jones in Charlottesville, Va. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Houston vs. Virginia odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The Cougars fell to Alabama Dec. 10, and Houston tumbled from No. 1 as a result. Houston rebounded with a 74-46 win over North Carolina A&T last time out, cashing the Under for the 4th-straight time, and 8th time in the past 9 outings.
The Cavaliers edged James Madison 55-50 last time out, cashing the Under for the 4th time in the past 5 contests. To make matters worse, Virginia could be without G Reece Beekman (hamstring), the team’s 4th-leading scorer with 10.0 PPG. He is also 2nd with 4.6 APG, while leading the team with 85.7% from the free-throw line.
Check out:'USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.