South Florida at Houston

Houston is going for their third straight win this season against the Bulls, winning by 12 in Florida and by 18 most recently on their home court. Houston is one of the better kept secrets in the country. They were red hot with a chance to go 11-5 in the CUSA, but dropped their final two games of the regular season to finish a somewhat pedestrian 9-7. Guard play will be the difference here, and UH's Andre Owens will be too much for the Bulls to handle. In a game involving two average offensive teams (67-74 PPG), underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points coming off a game in which they scored 80+ points are just 79-126 (38%) ATS since 1997. This is a huge game for Houston in their quest for an at large bid to the NCAA's. I expect a top effort tonight. Two stars on the Cougars to move on to the next round in convincing fashion.