The Houston Cougars (1-0) and the Drexel Dragons (1-1) face off in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam at Vines Center. The games Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 152.5 points with Houston opening as a 13.5-point favorite. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday, November 17, 2017.
Drexel Dragons vs. Houston Cougars ATS Preview
The Dragons beat the Arcadia University Knights in their last outing, 95-81. Tramaine Isabell was the top scorer from either team with 22 points on 5-for-13 shooting. Drexel dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a ridiculous free throw rate of 0.424 and an effective field goal percentage of 0.593. For those same stats, Arcadia University was 0.281 and 0.492, respectively.
In the Cougars last game, they blew out the McNeese State Cowboys, 81-53. Houston received a boost from Armoni Brooks, who was the games leading scorer with 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Houston played a nearly perfect game. They had an effective field goal percentage of 0.667 and an offensive rebounding percentage of 41.4. McNeese State put up marks of 0.345 and 29.2, respectively, for those same stats.
The high-octane offense of Houston will face off against the bottom-tier defense of Drexel. Since last season, the Cougars rank 42nd in offensive efficiency, while the Dragons are 301st in defensive efficiency. The Cougars figure to have the edge on that end of the court. It will also be a showdown of conflicting paces as the up-and-down Dragons rank 58th in possessions per game, while the more half-court oriented Cougars rank 324th.
The Dragons are 10-24 straight up (SU) and 10-19 against the spread (ATS) since last season. Games involving Drexel have gone under the projected point total 51.7 percent of the time since last season.
The Cougars have had a superb 22-10 SU record since last season, but are just 12-16 ATS. A little over half of Houstons games have finished over the O/U total over that same period.
Drexel Dragons vs. Houston Cougars Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Houston, ATS Winner – Houston, O/U – Over
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
- The Dragons average 23.1 three pointers per game, which ranks 85th in the NCAA. The Cougars rank 146th in three pointers allowed per game (20.9).
- Houston ranks 121st in blocks per game (3.5) while Drexel ranks 139th in blocks allowed per game (3.4).
- Houston ranks 28th in assists allowed per game (11.1) while Drexel ranks 206th (13.9).
- The Cougars rank 20th in steals allowed per game (4.8) while the Dragons rank 192nd (6.5).
- Houston ranks 142nd in rebounds allowed per game (34.8) while Drexel ranks 233rd (37.0).
