The Cincinnati Bearcats (21-11) square off with the No. 1 Houston Cougars (30-2) Saturday in the AAC Tournament semifinals. Tip from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, is at 3 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Cincinnati vs. Houston odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Cincinnati crushed Temple 84-54 as a 5-point favorite in the quarterfinals Friday. Temple may be one of the two teams to topple Houston this season, but it is not nearly the same caliber as the Cougars and the Bearcats will find Saturday’s semifinal a much greater challenge.
Houston has been dominant all season and continued that dominance Friday with a 60-46 win over East Carolina. It has relied on a smothering defense to routinely hold opponents to fewer than 60 points.