New Orleans Privateers at Houston Cougars

TALE OF THE TAPE Houston Cougars New Orleans Privateers Record (last 5) 4-1 ← 1-4 Shooting (eFG%) 51.4% ← 49.6% Turnovers/G 9.9 ← 14.9 Off Reb/G 14.6 ← 11.5 FT Attempts/G 13.7 → 21.6 Key Injuries None None Gary's Take I love this spot for Houston because their style is built to bury an overmatched visitor. They’ve been steamrolling teams in this building, with recent home wins that turned into outright massacres like 80-38 over the Tigers and 91-45 over the Broncs. New Orleans, meanwhile, has dropped four of its last five and has already been blown out badly on the road by high-major competition like the Red Raiders and Tigers. Here’s how I see this playing out: Houston’s pressure and physicality create a huge possession edge, with the Cougars winning both the turnover battle and the offensive glass all afternoon. New Orleans’ one real strength is getting to the line, but trading free throws for empty trips and second-chance buckets won’t keep this close for long. Even when Houston goes to the bench, the drop-off is small enough that the margin keeps climbing. Lock it in: Houston Cougars -34.5 covers this massive number. The only way this misses is if Houston completely takes its foot off the gas early and New Orleans sneaks in a late backdoor.