Temple vs. Houston Prediction and Odds (Are the Cougars too Focused on their Next Game to Cover This One?)

The No. 14 Houston Cougars have secured the AAC regular season already and are ready to rock in the postseason. It was the Cougars' third AAC regular-season championship in the last four years and finished the year 25-4.

The Cougars took a bit of a tumble recently and lost back-to-back games to SMU and Memphis but rebounded well and are on a five-game winning streak. With two games left, Houston will hope to earn a better seed in the NCAA tournament by beating Temple tonight and Memphis over the weekend.

Temple, on the other hand, is serving the part of the sacrificial lamb here and is a 16 point road dog in this conference clash. While the Owls did manage to hang close and cover against Houston earlier in the year, both of these teams are far different from when they last met.

Here are the odds for this likely AAC blowout, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Temple vs. Houston Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

• Temple +16 (-110)
• Houston -16 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Temple +900
• Houston -1600

Total: 132 (Over -110/Under -110)

Temple vs. Houston Prediction and Pick

On any normal night, I would say that Houston covers this spread easily and keeps on rolling towards the NCAA Tournament. However, this does fall into the classic look-ahead game scenario with a game against Memphis looming.

This is big for a few reasons. First is the fact that Houston already lost at home to Memphis 69-59 earlier in the season. This game will be on the road for the Cougars. Another factor here is that these two teams are likely to meet again in the conference tournament if Memphis hangs on for a two or three seed. 

Now, I am not suggesting that Houston loses this game because they are focused on beating Memphis. But it is a good reason to fade them with such a huge spread tonight. 

Lean: Temple +16 (-110)

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE.