When the Wichita State Shockers left the Missouri Valley Conference to join the American Athletic Conference, they were an elite basketball program, but they have struggled to find that form in their new league. They head to Houston on Wednesday night with a record of 6-2 (2-0 AAC), coming in off a four-point win at Ole Miss on Saturday. The Cougars (8-1, 3-1 AAC) lost at Tulsa last Tuesday but bounced back with a 74-60 win over SMU on Sunday. Can the Cougars start another long winning streak, or will the Shockers produce an upset win down in the Lone Star State?
Don’t miss our college basketball betting preview of this AAC matchup.
NCAAB: Wichita State at Houston (January 6)
When: Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 8:00 pm ET
Where: Fertitta Center, Houston, TX
TV: ESPN+
Radio: No National Radio
Live Stream: ESPN+
NCAAB Odds: Houston 11.5
Why should you bet on the Shockers?
In their win over Ole Miss, Wichita State got a huge night from Tyson Etienne, who made a season-best five shots from behind the arc and put up a career high in points with 29. The game went back and forth for most of the game, with Wichita State snatching the lead in the last two minutes of regulation. Etienne had 19 points in the second half, scoring 11 of the 13 Wichita State points during one stretch to keep the Shockers in it.
Alterique Gilbert put up 14 points and dished out four assists for the Shockers, and Dexter Dennis chipped in 10, including a clutch free throw with eight seconds left on the clock to salt away the win. On the night, Wichita State shot 52 percent from the floor, while Ole Miss shot just 42 percent. The Shockers are led by interim coach Isaac Brown, who took over after the surprise resignation of Greg Marshall on November 17, and he became only the second Shockers coach in the modern era to pick up wins in his first three true away games. The Shockers do need to work on ball security after turning the ball over 15 times against Ole Miss, leading to 29 points for the Rebels.
Why should you put your money on the Cougars?
On Saturday, Houston and SMU went into the locker room with the Mustangs up by a point. During the intermission, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson preached the importance of rebounding and aggressive play, and his players responded, taking the game to a level that SMU did not meet. The Cougars started the second half with a three-ball from Quentin Grimes, sparking a 10-0 run. Houston had 45 rebounds — 28 after the intermission, with 11 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points in the second half. Justin Gorham had 19 rebounds all by himself, 13 in the second half.
Marcus Sasser led the Cougars with 17 points. DeJon Jarreau put up 15 points, and Justin Gorham and Quentin Grimes each had 11. Grimes leads Houston with 18.5 points per game, and the team could also use guard Caleb Mills, who has stepped away from the team for an indefinite period after issues with COVID-19 and an ankle injury. It is unclear what his timetable for returning to the team would be at this time. If you like Houston on Wednesday, you see their commitment to rebounding and aggressive play helping them pull away from a gritty Shockers team.
Final Score and Prediction
Houston showed some resilience in the second half against SMU, as they got back to the basics in terms of their identity as a team that pursues the ball aggressively, particularly on the glass. If Wichita State can keep their hot shooting up, they could pull off the upset, but rebounding tends to trump shooting when the shooters cool off, so I predict a 75-68 win for Houston.
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