Conference USA Tourney: East Carolina vs Houston
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
By BetUS.com
East Carolina Pirates (10-20 SU, 11-12-2 ATS) vs. Houston Cougars (15-15 SU, 11-16 ATS)
Conference USA Tournament @ Tulsa
Wednesday, March 10 - 1 PM ET
Houston has not been to the NCAA tournament since 1992, and the Cougars are not going to get there unless they win this C-USA tourney, There’s not much of a chance of that happening. The Cougars are the personification of a run-and-gun team; they play at a frenetic pace whenever they can, and average almost 79 points a game.
They rely heavily on the nation's leading scorer, Aubrey Coleman, who averages 26 points and 7.5 rebounds, and Coleman's sidekick is Kelvin Lewis, who tallies 15.1 ppg. Lewis is the designated gunner; he throws up 7.5 three-point shots a game, and scores nine points a contest that way.
Between Coleman and Lewis, they attempt 33 shots a game, but only two of the top nine scorers for the Houston team shoot better than 43%. That’s maybe one reason this team hasn't been a bargain in the NCAA basketball lines, going just 11-16 ATS.
BetUS Sportsbook NCAA Basketball Lines: HOUSTON -12.5
Here are some of the NCAA basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
- ECU is 2-6-2 ATS in its last ten games
- ECU has lost 12 of its last 16 games SU
- ECU has played six of its last eight games OVER the total
- HOU has covered one of its last seven games
- HOU has lost four of its last six games SU
- HOU has played four of its last five games OVER the total
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Here are some of the head-to-head college basketball betting trends for this game:
- HOU is 6-1-1 ATS in the last eight meetings
- HOU has won seven of the last eight meetings SU
- Four of the last six meetings have gone OVER the total
- HOU has had the shooting edge in six of the last eight meetings
- HOU has had the rebounding edge in four of the last six meetings
East Carolina's Brock Young is his team's leading scorer, but shoots less than 38% from the field. He also averages four turnovers a game. He's the first option, which gives you a little insight into this ECU team. He also has a very sore ankle. Chad Wynn, the starting center who shoots 55% and is the team's best shot-blocker, has a knee injury.
When these teams played on January 16, Houston ran away with a 74-55 win in Greenville, and even though the Cougars are not known as a good defensive team (allowing 46% shooting overall), they held ECU to less than 32%, and Young combined with fellow guard Jontae Sherrod to hit just four of 28 shots. Meanwhile, Coleman had 25 points and eleven rebounds.
Houston turns the ball over less than ten times a game, which is kind of unusual for a team that plays at its pace. ECU had better not go cold again.
The coaching dynamic is interesting, as ECU coach Mack McCarthy is a lame duck, having already announced his resignation, while the Cougars are playing to save Tom Penders' job and maybe even get back to the CBI tournament. Houston has covered just one of its last seven, but we'll go with the Cougars anyway, laying 12.5 points in the college basketball lines.
BetUS Sportsbook PLAY: HOUSTON -12.5 **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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