The No. 3 Houston Cougars (21-2, 9-1 AAC) look to avenge its only conference loss of the season against the Temple Owls (14-9, 8-2) in Philadelphia Sunday at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Houston vs. Temple odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Despite the elite defense played by Houston, the Cougars still lost its first meeting 56-55 to Temple in Houston as 19.5-point favorites. This was the only conference loss for the Cougars, who will look to stay atop the AAC with a victory over Temple, who sits just 1 game behind in the standings.
At 69.4 points per game, the Owls are not a high-powered offense, ranking 239th in the country. On defense, Houston only allows 55.2 points, which is 3rd in the nation on the season. With an elite defense and an offense able to score over 75 points per game, this leads to the Cougars being one of the best teams in the country at 21-2.
Even with its elite defense, Houston will need to avenge its earlier loss to Temple if it wants to win the conference heading into March Madness.