College Basketball – Miners do Battle with the Cougars

UTEP Miners (11-8 SU, 10-5-1 ATS) at Houston Cougars (12-5 SU, 9-5 ATS)

BetOnline NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Odds: HOUSTON -5.5

Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* UTEP has lost three of its last four games SU

* UTEP is 7-2-1 ATS in its last ten games

* UTEP has won four of its last six road games SU

* UTEP is 3-1-1 ATS in its last five road games

* HOU has won four of its last six games SU

* HOU has played eight of its last ten games OVER the total

* HOU has won nine of its last ten home games SU

* HOU has covered six of its last seven home games

* HOU has played seven of its last nine home games UNDER the total

Also….

* UTEP has covered five of the last seven meetings

* The last three meetings have gone OVER the total

* HOU has won four of the last five meetings SU as the home team

* UTEP has had the shooting edge in each of the last seven meetings

* UTEP has had the rebounding edge in eight of the last ten meetings

* HOU has made more three-pointers in six of the last eight meetings

A quick note: Aubrey Coleman, Houston’s second-leading scorer, was suspended for this game because of his behavior in the team’s last game against Arizona, when he stepped on Chase Budinger’s face. Coleman, who has started all 17 games for the Cougars, has been averaging 18 points a game and was also the team’s second leading rebounder, pulling down 7.8 caroms per game. Coleman had also scored 24 points with 12 rebounds in the team’s previous game against UTEP, keying a 94-86 win in which the Cougars shot 48%. He has six double-digit rebound totals in his last ten games. He is a 6’4" guard, which means Houston doesn’t have a lot of useful size to throw out there. In other words, this is a big loss.

UTEP had difficulty dealing with size last time out, as Jerome Jordan, Tulsa’s athletic center, had 21 points and 14 rebounds in turning the Miners back for a 78-70 decision. UTEP got off to a slow start, shooting 23% from the field. They got themselves together a little better in the second half, but still shot less than 36% for the game.

Clearly Houston’s defensive focus is going to be Stefon Jackson, one of the top scorers in the country. Jackson, who has had season highs of 44 points against Santa Clara and 33 against New Mexico State, scored 27 points in the January 14 meeting with the Cougars. One of Jackson’s assets is getting to the line; the 6’5" senior has made ten or more free throws in nine games this season.

UTEP, which averages almost 78 points a game, can keep pace in this game which is going to be up-tempo. Coleman’s loss is hard to overcome; the Miners have won road games recently against New Mexico, SMU and East Carolina, and as mentioned, they’re not out-sized in this one. Go with UTEP, the 5.5-point underdog in the BetOnline Sportsbook NCAA college basketball sports betting odds.

JAY’S PLAY: UTEP +5.5 ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

(Charles Jay makes his share of shots from downtown as a contributor to the BetOnline Locker Room)