Houston Cougars (21-2) vs. Temple Owls (14-9)
February 5, 2023 6:00 pm EDT
The Line: Temple Owls +12 / Houston Cougars -12 ; Over/Under: 131.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Houston Cougars and the Temple Owls meet Sunday in college basketball action from Liacouras Center. Houston is currently 21-2 overall this season. The Cougars beat Wichita State in their last game on Thursday. As for Temple, they’re 14-9 on the season and coming off a win over UCF last weekend. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Houston Cougars
Houston won nine straight games out of the gate this year before a 71-65 loss to Alabama on December 10. Houston would win nine more before another loss to Temple 56-55 on January 2. The Cougars have beaten UCF, Cincinnati and Wichita State since then.
On Thursday versus Wichita State, the Cougars held a slim one-point lead going into the second half. Houston hit a 40-32 stretch from there and won it 70-61. Both Jarace Walker and Marcus Sasser led the way on 15 points apiece.
Temple Owls
Over on the Temple side, they were a sketchy 9-7 after 16 games this season. The Owls have improved on a 5-2 stretch since then, beating Tulsa, East Carolina, Houston, South Florida and UCF in that span. The losses came to Tulane and Memphis.
Last Saturday versus UCF, Temple scored 36 points in the first half, 26 in the second and 15 in overtime on the way to a 77-70 victory. Khalif Battle was the top scorer on 26 points, and Jamille Reynolds added 16 points with five rebounds.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to take Houston. The line looks a little thick, but the Cougars have a lot to prove in this one so I think they’ll be okay. The last time these teams met up back on January 22 at Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston took a rough 56-55 loss. Neither team shot well in that one (31.1 percent for Temple and 33.9 for Houston) and the Cougars went just 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from the line. That said, Houston still had a 39-33 rebounding advantage (12-5 offensive) and just seven turnovers. This is probably going to be a close one, but with the extra revenge motivation I think Houston can power out a late cover in the rematch. Should be a fun game to watch.
