College basketball picks: Houston-SMU prediction, odds, spread for February 16

The No. 2 Houston Cougars will hit the road for a matchup with the SMU Mustangs on Thursday night from Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. The contest will get started at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN2.

My previous eight college hoops gambling picks went 5-3, so let's keep the winners going on Thursday night. Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

Houston vs. SMU odds

Spread: Houston -15.5
Over/Under: 138
Moneyline: Houston -1600, SMU +850

Houston (23-2, 11-1 AAC) will bring a five-game winning streak into this matchup coming off an 80-42 destruction over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Marcus Sasser scored 25 points, connecting on 5-of-10 shots from long range. Terrance Arceneaux is unlikely to be available after suffering an ankle injury. The Cougars rate first overall in KenPom and inside the top six in adjusted efficiency on both ends of the floor.

SMU (9-17, 4-9 AAC) lost three of its last four games including a 91-89 road defeat against the Wichita State Shockers in double overtime. The Mustangs had just two points off the bench with Zhuric Phelps (26), Efe Odigie (21), Samuell Williamson (19) and Zach Nutall (15) leading the way in scoring. SMU rates 189th overall in KenPom including 236th in adjusted offensive efficiency but 132nd on the defensive end.

The Pick: Houston -15.5

One of my main principles in life is to pick Houston to cover against a team it is significantly better than. The Cougars beat teams by 20 or more points 12 times this season, and there isn't a reason to think the Mustangs will hang in this one. Houston smashed SMU by 34 points a little more than a month ago, and the Cougars should pull away to cover this number.

  
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