Houston vs Tulsa Prediction, Odds & Picks for December 28 (Cougars' Defense Shuts Down Golden Hurricane)

Houston vs Tulsa Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
• No. 3 Houston (12-1, 0-0 AAC) vs. Tulsa (4-7, 0-0 AAC)
• Date: Wednesday, December 28, 2022
• Time: 9:00 PM ET
• Venue: Donald W. Reynolds Center -- Tulsa, Oklahoma

The 2022-23 NCAA college basketball season continues on Wednesday, Dec. 28 with several matchups, including an AAC tilt between the No. 3 Houston Cougars and Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Houston enters this showdown riding a three-game winning streak, having picked up an 83-44 blowout win over McNeese exactly one week ago. Meanwhile, Tulsa hopes to bounce back following a 76-64 loss to Loyola Marymount on Dec. 21.

Can Houston extend its winning ways to four straight games? Or will Tulsa play spoiler in front of a rowdy Donald W. Reynolds Center crowd?

Houston vs Tulsa Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: HOU: (-4500) | TULSA: (+2000)
• Spread: HOU: -20.5 (-110) | TULSA: +20.5 (-110)
• Total: 133.5 -- Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

Houston enters this contest as heavy favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 133.5 points, which is about average compared to Wednesday's projected totals.

Houston vs Tulsa Betting Trends

• Houston is 9-4-0 against the spread this season.
• Against the spread as 19.5-point favorites or more, the Cougars are 7-1.
• This season, four of Houston's 13 games have hit the over.
• Tulsa has one win against the spread this year.
• This season, three of Tulsa's 11 games have gone over the point total.

Houston Rank	Houston AVG		Tulsa AVG	Tulsa Rank
154th	74.2	Points Scored	69	254th
1st	49.8	Points Allowed	71.6	249th
17th	37.8	Rebounds	29.8	305th
6th	12.9	Off. Rebounds	7.8	263rd
193rd	7.4	3pt Made	8.5	88th
101st	14.8	Assists	12.1	274th
27th	10.3	Turnovers	12.9	219th

Houston vs Tulsa Prediction & Pick

Although Houston and Tulsa have been evenly matched throughout their head-to-head rivalry, it's been the Cougars who've won more often than not lately. Houston is 8-2 straight up in its last 10 games against Tulsa, even tallying a 66-64 win over the Golden Hurricane back in January.

Unfortunately for Tulsa fans, I don't see Houston's dominance ending any time soon. The Cougars allowing a nation-low 49.8 points per game on 32.7% shooting (No. 1) with a plus-24.4 scoring margin (No. 2). I have a hard time believing that the Golden Hurricane can succeed against that unit — especially after averaging just 66.7 points in their last three games.

With Tulsa also being 1-6 straight up as the underdog this season, there's little reason to believe that can upset can happen. Houston's defense will suffocate, as per usual, leading to the Cougars' fourth win in a row.

Final Score Prediction: Houston: 77 | Tulsa: 64

Houston vs Tulsa Best Bet

Even though I expect Houston to win big, I don't feel comfortable with the 20.5-point spread. Not only have the Cougars lost two of their last three trips to Tulsa, but they're also 2-7 against the spread in their last nine road games against the Golden Hurricane. Furthermore, only three of Houston's last nine wins against Tulsa have been by more than 20.5 points.

Houston should still win this one with ease, but don't be surprised if Tulsa makes things closer than projected.

Bet: Tulsa +20.5 (-110)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.