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The (#5) Houston Cougars (9-1) will host the North Carolina A&T Aggies (4-4) on Tuesday.
Houston held the No. 1 spot in the country for the last couple of weeks but got tripped up at home by the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, 71-65. Houston took a four-point lead into the half but failed to put the Tide away late, with the Cougars letting up an 11-3 run after an under-five-minute timeout. Free throw shooting haunted the Cougs as they finished 12-of-22 from the charity stripe.
Jamal Shead, a hero from last season's Elite Eight squad, dropped a season-high 19 points and seven rebounds in 38 minutes. Star guard Marcus Sasser, who is in the midst of a revenge tour after missing most of last season with a foot injury, struggled with his shot, finishing 2-of-11 from the field while failing to score in double-figures for just the second time this year.
Houston vs. NC A&T Betting Odds
All Lines Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
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North Carolina A&T is in year one of being a part of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Aggies are riding a three-game winning streak heading into their matchup with Houston. Senior guard Demetric Horton (11.6 PPG) and JC transfer Kam Woods (17 PPG) have been consistent scoring threats this season, with former top prospect and Oklahoma State transfer Marcus Watson vying for a spot on the All-CAA team with 14.3 PPG on 53% shooting.
ShotQuality Tale of the Tape
Below, we will highlight essential ShotQuality data for this matchup, including Adjusted Offensive and Defensive SQ, strengths, weaknesses, and frequency. SQppp is a player's average ShotQuality points per possession.
Thus, SQppp = Total SQpoints/Total No. of Possessions
North Carolina A&T
Offensive Key Stats (inside top 100 or outside top 200)
AdjOFF SQ = 0.94 (306th)
Open 3 Rate = 22% (217th)
Rim and 3 Rate = 82.9% (292nd)
Spacing = 16th Percentile (301st)
Rim and 3 SQ PPP = 1.02 (310th)
Free Throw Rate (FTR) = 23.6% (326th)
Shot Selection = 5th Percentile (346th)
Offensive Shot Type: SQ PPP (Strengths & Weaknesses w/top 175 Frequency)
Off the Dribble 3PT = 1.01 (147th)
P&R Ball Screen = 0.94 (249th)
Midrange = 0.74 (276th)
Half Court = 0.94 (304th)
Off-Screen = 0.91 (326th)
Isolation = 0.81 (336th)
Defensive key stats (inside top 100 or outside top 200)
AdjDEF SQ = 1.06 (278th)
Shot Making = 1st Percentile (1st)
Spacing = 8th Percentile (29th)
FTR = 32.3% (217th)
Rim and 3 SQ PPP = 1.09 (288th)
Shot Selection = 86th Percentile (320th)
Rim and 3 Rate = 91.3% (343rd)
Defensive Shot Type: SQ PPP (Strengths & Weaknesses w/top 175 Frequency)
Catch & Shoot 3PT = 0.99 (6th)
Off-Screen = 1.02 (246th)
Finishing at the Rim = 1.18 (289th)
Transition = 1.43 (315th)*
Half Court = 1.03 (330th)
Cut = 1.27 (340th)
Post-Up = 0.97 (350th)*
P&R Ball Screen = 1.10 (351st)*
* = outside top 175 but added for matchup sake.
Houston
Offensive Key Stats (inside top 100 or outside top 200)
AdjOFF SQ = 1.17 (5th)
Shot Making = 37th Percentile (217th)
FTR = 24.4% (318th)
Offensive Shot Type: SQ PPP (Strengths & Weaknesses w/top 175 Frequency)
Off-Screen = 1.16 (14th)
Transition = 1.38 (100th)
Cut = 1.16 (116th)
Finishing at the Rim = 1.15 (123rd)
Isolation = 0.89 (227th)
Post-Up = 0.85 (236th)
P&R Ball Screen = 0.95 (244th)
Midrange = 0.73 (283rd)
Defensive key stats (inside top 100 or outside top 200)
AdjDEF SQ = 0.9 (15th)
Rim and 3 SQ PPP = 1.01 (28th)
Open 3 Rate = 13.9% (47th)
Shot Selection = 13th Percentile (50th)
FTR = 32.3% (214th)
Shot Making = 63rd Percentile (253rd)
Rim and 3 Rate = 90.9% (336th)
Spacing = 97th Percentile (354th)
Defensive Shot Type: SQ PPP (Strengths & Weaknesses w/top 175 Frequency)
Isolation = 0.78 (5th)
Off the Dribble 3PT = 0.96 (74th)*
Half Court = 0.95 (95th)
P&R Ball Screen = 0.95 (130th)
Off-Screen = 1.03 (261st)
Catch & Shoot 3PT = 1.04 (272nd)
* = outside top 175 but added for matchup sake.
Houston vs. NC A&T Prediction
There is no way Houston is happy with the way they closed out against Alabama on Saturday. However, I expect Kelvin Sampson to have his boys ready to get a taste of their first loss out of their mouths by beating the break off the Aggies. Suffocating defense and a well-executed offense should lead to a sizable first-half lead for the Cougars.
Prediction: Houston -16.5 1H (-120)
$1,000 No Sweat First Bet at FanDuel
