South Florida Bulls vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 2/28/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: USF Bulls vs Houston Cougars

Date: Sunday, February 28, 2021

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: ESPNU

Odds/Point Spread: South Florida (+18.5)

The USF Bulls (8-9) are headed to Fertitta Center on Sunday where they'll take on the Houston Cougars (19-3). South Florida opens this contest as 18.5-point underdogs. The O/U has been set at 132.5.

South Florida enters this contest with a mark of 8-9 on the season. They are giving up possession 14.2 times per game and as a squad they are committing 17.8 fouls per game. As a team, South Florida is pulling down 38.1 boards per game and has totaled 198 dimes on the campaign, which is 295th in the country in terms of passing. The Bulls are shooting 33.9% on 3-pointers (108 of 319) and 63.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 67.2 pts per game (274th in D-1) while hitting 41.0% from the field. On the defensive end, the Bulls are forcing their opponents into 12.8 turnovers every game while drawing 18.2 fouls. The Bulls are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 44.3% (415 of 936) and they relinquish 32.8 boards per game as a unit. They currently rank 135th in college hoops in giving up assists with 242 surrendered for the year. They surrender 32.4% on 3-point shots while they are 154th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (69.5).

The USF Bulls played the Temple Owls and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 65-47 in their last contest. South Florida finished the contest with a 28.8% FG percentage (15 out of 52) and converted 7 of 20 3-pointers. From the free throw line, the Bulls buried 10 of their 17 shots for a percentage of 58.8%. With respect to hauling in rebounds, they collected a total of 29 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 10 dimes for this game while forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. Pertaining to the defense, South Florida allowed their opponent to shoot 45.1% from the floor on 23 out of 51 shooting. Temple doled out 15 assists and had 8 steals for the game. Moreover, Temple grabbed 28 rebounds (5 offensive, 23 defensive) and had 3 rejections. Temple finished the game shooting 66.7% from the free throw line by knocking down 8 of 12 tries. They made 11 of their 0 tries from beyond the arc.

Justin Brown is a player who came through for this game. He accounted for 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting. He saw the court for 31 mins played and collected 6 boards. Brown went 60.0% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist. An additional guy that came through in this matchup for the Bulls was David Collins. He had 2 rebounds in his 30 minutes played on the night. He went 33.3% from the floor for the matchup by going 4-of-12 (13 points). Overall, Collins totaled 2 assists.

Houston has a mark of 19-3 this year. Houston has accumulated 1,687 points this year (76.7 per game) and they snag 41.6 boards per game. The Cougars commit 19.1 personal fouls per game and they connect on 73.3% from the free throw line. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cougars are shooting 43.3% from the field, which ranks 227th in the nation. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.2 times per contest (175th in the nation) and they are turning it over 11.4 times per contest. The Cougars on the defensive side of the court are 2nd in D-1 in points given up per game with 57.5. They are able to force 15.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 36.6% from the field (1st in the country). The Houston defense surrenders 26.4% on shots from beyond the arc (112 of 424) and their opposition makes 68.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 9.5 dimes and 32.3 boards per game, which ranks 8th and 64th in college hoops.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Houston Cougars walked away with a victory by a final of 81-57 when they played the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. The Cougars snagged 18 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards for a total of 29 for the contest. They turned the ball over 9 times, while recording 13 steals in the game. The Hilltoppers were called for 12 fouls in this contest which got the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 11 tries. They were able to bury 10 of those for a percentage of 90.9%. When talking about shots from downtown, Houston knocked down 13 out of their 31 tries (41.9%). When the final whistle blew, the Cougars ended up going 29 for 63 from the floor which had them shooting 46.0%. The Cougars allowed the Hilltoppers to make 20 of their 48 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 41.7% for the matchup. They went 23.5% from 3-point land by going 4 out of 17 and finished the contest at 13 of 14 from the free throw line (92.9%). In reference to how they rebounded, Houston allowed Western Kentucky to snag 24 in all (3 on the offensive side).

Quentin Grimes ended up being important for the Cougars for the game. He knocked down 11 out of 21 for the contest for a field goal rate of 52.4%, and had 6 rebounds. Grimes totaled 33 points in his 35 mins on the court and tallied 1 assist in this game. Another guy that was important for Houston was Marcus Sasser. He left the arena with 3 assists in his 24 minutes on the court, and he converted 4 out of 12 from the floor. Sasser finished going 33.3% from the floor while also collecting 12 points and 2 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take South Florida (+18.5)

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