Houston vs Bryant 12/3/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Byrant Bulldogs will travel to the Fertitta Center to take on the 15^th ranked Houston Cougars this Friday night in College Basketball action.

The Byrant Bulldogs had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 3-4 on the season after being defeated by the Dartmouth Big Green, 63-61 (OT), this past Sunday. Byrant was able to fight back from a 46-39 deficit with just 3:55 left in regulation to force OT, however, Dartmouth was able to pull out the victory after the Big Green’s Aaryn Rai made a game-winning layup with just :01 second left in OT. Byrant shot 35.3% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Dartmouth to shoot 36.4% from the field & 37.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Charles Pride who had a double-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, & 4 steals.

On the season, Byrant is averaging 76.4 ppg on 42.3% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 9.4 three-pointers per game on 31.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Byrant has been led by Peter Kiss (21.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.0 spg), Charles Pride (14.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.7 spg), Chris Childs (11.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 apg), & Adham Eleeda (9.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.0 apg).

Defensively, Byrant is allowing their opponents to average 76.4 ppg on 42.3% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of -0.3 and a turnover margin of -0.4.

The 15^th ranked Houston Cougars improved to 6-1 on the season after defeating the Northwestern State Demons, 99-58, this past Tuesday. Houston dominated Northwestern State on both ends of the court throughout the game and had no trouble picking up the victory after going into halftime with a 60-25 lead. Houston shot 54.3% from the field & 41.2% from beyond the arc while allowing Northwestern State to shoot 38.3% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cougars was Marcus Sasser who had 26 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, & 4 steals.

On the season, Houston is averaging 77.0 ppg on 47.8% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 9.4 three-pointers per game on 38.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Houston has been led by Marcus Sasser (18.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.0 spg), Kyler Edwards (13.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Fabian White Jr. (9.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.0 spg), & Jamal Shead (7.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.7 apg, 2.0 spg).

Defensively, Houston is holding their opponents to an average of 56.0 ppg on 37.7% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of 7.0 and a turnover margin of 6.0.

The Bulldogs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. The Cougars are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.

This is a large spread, but Houston is just a tough team to play when they are home at the Fertitta Center and have been outstanding on the defensive end this season as they come into this game ranked 9^th in scoring defense & 28^th in defensive FG%. Bryant is a decent team in the NEC conference, however, the Bulldogs have already lost by 19+ this season at URI & Clemson and as see Houston’s offense having no trouble putting up plenty of points against a Bryant defense that ranks just 225^th in scoring defense & 230^th in rebound margin, I’m taking Houston to pull away in the 2^nd half and cover this large spread.