Oklahoma State vs. UConn Prediction and Odds for Thursday, December 1 (Can Cowboys Hold Down Huskies to Cover?)

The No. 8 UConn Huskies look to keep their dominance going when they return home for tonight's Big East - Big 12 Battle against the Oklahom State Cowboys at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs.

UConn was dominant in their march to the Phil Knight Invitational Championship in Portland, destroying three quality teams in their path in Oregon by 24, No. 18 Alabama by 15, and Iowa State by 18 points.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys have dominated in their victories this season, but have lost two games to quality opponents in Southern Illinois (1-point loss), and UCF (60-56) so far this year. Their schedule doesn't get any easier in December, with matchups coming up against Sam Houston, Virginia Tech and Wichita State in their next three games.

Can the Cowboys keep a near double-digit spread close tonight on the road? Or will the Huskies keep hammering their opponents.

Here are the latest odds:

Oklahoma State vs. UConn Odds, Spread and Total

Oklahoma State vs. UConn Prediction and Pick

Despite two tough losses, and a matchup vs. one of the hottest teams in basketball, I'll back the Cowboys to keep it relatively close, at least in the first half.

The metrics indicate that the Cowboys are a very quality opponent, ranked 32nd in the country by KenPom with a top 27 adjusted defense. They're excellent in forcing opponents to take tough shots (13th-best in effective field goal percentage), and limit good lucks from both inside and outside the 30point line. Teams are shooting just 27.3% beyond the arc this year against OK State, and only 42.3% from inside the line.

UConn is no joke. They're top 10 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency at KenPom, and force a ton of turnovers. That's been a concern for the Cowboys on the offensive end with a turnover percentage of 20%, 225th in the country against a UConn squad ranked 32nd overall.

So why back OK State early? Because both teams' defensively are remarkably similar, especially early on. UConn ranks 11th in 1st half points allowed, while Oklahoma State is just three teams down. Eventually, the better team will likely pull away at home, but in the early going with a defensive rock fight in store, I'll back the underdog at a good number of +5.5.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.