Houston vs Virginia Prediction: Odds, Picks, Best Bets – Saturday, December 17, 2022

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The Virginia Cavaliers (8-0) will host the Houston Cougars (10-1) after victories in six straight home games. It begins at 2:00 PM ET on Saturday, December 17, 2022.

Saturday’s game between the Cougars and the Cavaliers features the Cougars as 2.5-point favorites. A 115.5-point total is set for the matchup.

Houston vs. Virginia Odds

Point Spread for Houston vs. Virginia

The spread for this matchup is set at 2.5 points, with bookmakers listing Houston as the favorite.

Houston vs. Virginia Moneyline

As for the moneyline, Houston has -143 odds to pick up the win, while Virginia is listed at +122 to claim victory.

Over/Under

Finally, the total for the game is set at 115.5 points.

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Game Time and How to Watch

  • Game Day: Saturday, December 17, 2022
  • Game Time: 2:00 PM ET
  • Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
  • Arena: John Paul Jones Arena

Houston vs. Virginia Betting Trends

Houston has seven wins against the spread in 11 games this season. The Cougars have been victorious in seven of the eight contests they have been chosen as favorites in this season. Houston’s games this year have gone over the total in two out of eight opportunities.

Virginia is 3-5-0 against the spread this year. The Cavaliers have been the moneyline underdog only two other times so far this season, and they won both games. Virginia’s games this year have eclipsed the over/under four times in eight opportunities (50%).

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Houston vs. Virginia Key Players to Watch

Houston

Marcus Sasser paces the Cougars at 16.2 points per game, while also averaging 2.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds. Jamal Shead averages a team-high 5.7 assists per game. He is also posting 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds, shooting 34.8% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc with 1.1 made 3-pointers per game. J’wan Roberts leads his squad in rebounds per contest (7.1), and also puts up 9.3 points and 1.2 assists. Defensively, he delivers 0.7 steals and 1.5 blocked shots. Jarace Walker averages 9.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest, shooting 48.3% from the field.

Virginia

Reece Beekman gets the Cavaliers 10 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He also puts up 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocked shots. Jayden Gardner is No. 1 on the Cavaliers in scoring (11.6 points per game) and rebounding (6.4), and produces 0.8 assists. He also puts up 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocked shots. Kadin Shedrick is posting 9.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per contest, making 68.6% of his shots from the floor.

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What you need to know about the Houston Cougars

The Cougars own a top-25 defense this year, ranking best in college basketball with 49.4 points allowed per game. On offense, they rank 159th with 73.9 points scored per contest. Houston is top-25 this season in rebounding, ranking 19th-best in college basketball with 38.2 boards per game. Meanwhile, it ranks 36th with 27.7 rebounds allowed per contest.

Houston ranks 255th in college basketball with 6.7 threes per game this season. Meanwhile, it ranks 226th with a 32.9% shooting percentage from downtown. With a 23.7% three-point percentage allowed this season, the Cougars are second-best in the country. They rank 39th in college basketball by allowing 5.6 treys per contest.

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What you need to know about the Virginia Cavaliers

In 2022-23, the Cavaliers are 189th in the country on offense (72.1 points scored per game) and 12th-best on defense (57.9 points allowed). Virginia is 273rd in college basketball in rebounds per game (30.8) and 24th-best in rebounds allowed (27.1).

Virginia makes 7.1 3-pointers per game and shoots 39.6% from beyond the arc, ranking 228th and 26th, respectively, in the nation. The Cavaliers give up 6.9 3-pointers per game and concede 34.4% from beyond the arc, ranking 154th and 244th, respectively, in the nation.

Houston vs. Virginia Prediction & Pick

Our pick to win this game is Houston, and we expect that Houston will cover the spread (Houston -2.5). Finally, we see the scoring in this one going over the posted total of 115.5 points.

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How to bet Houston vs. Virginia

You can bet on Houston vs. Virginia at every legal online sportsbook. For more college basketball odds, including moneylines, spreads, over/under totals, check out the latest NCAA lines as well as our guide to the best college basketball betting sites.

And if you wanted to check out how much you could win on a $10 bet if you parlayed today’s Houston vs. Virginia picks, don’t forget to check out our free parlay calculator.

Not sure what a parlay is? Or even how to bet on college basketball? Check out our complete guide to sports betting.

WRITTEN BY

Matt Rooney

Matt comes from Chicago and has lived in the area his whole life. Graduated from and played football at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL while also serving as the director of student sports broadcasting. He writes for Betsperts as well as appears on several shows across the network.

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