College basketball picks: Memphis-Houston prediction, odds, spread for February 19

Two of the top teams in the AAC standings will do battle this afternoon as the No. 2 Houston Cougars play host to the Memphis Tigers at 3 p.m. ET. The game will take place at the Fetitta Center in Houston and will air on ESPN.

Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

Memphis vs. Houston odds

Spread: Houston -13.5
Over/Under: 141.5
Moneyline: Houston -1200, Memphis +700

Memphis (20-6, 10-3 AAC) has picked up three straight victories heading into today's contest and last edged UCF in a 64-63 nailbiter on Thursday. The Tigers let a 15-point second half lead slip away and found themselves down one in the final minutes of action. With seven seconds left, Damaria Franklin stepped up and broke a five-minute scoring drought with a layup, putting them on top for good. Elijah McCadden led with 16 points and six assists in the win.

Houston (24-2, 12-1 AAC) continues to carve its way right through the league and picked up its sixth straight win in an 80-65 rout of in-state rival SMU on Thursday. The Cougars were never in any danger of an upset as they held control for nearly the duration of the evening, going up by as many as 23 at one point. Marcus Sasser led UH with 20 points despite not making a single basket from two.

The Pick: Houston -13.5

This makes for an intriguing matchup as Houston will be playing against an opponent ranked in the top 40 in KenPom for the first time in just over two months. That should, in theory, make this a competitive contest but the Cougar defense at home will be a significant obstacle for the Tigers to overcome.

UH is ranked third in defensive effective field goal percentage (41.3%) and 25th in turnover percentage (22.2%), so it will be difficult for Memphis to even get a successful shot up. That's why I'll pick the Cougars to make a statement at home and cover this large spread.

  
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