Halftime Report
Houston is on the road but looking no worse for wear. After one quarter, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but Houston leads 36-34 over Alabama.
Houston came into the match with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Houston Cougars @ Alabama Crimson Tide
Current Records: Houston 3-1, Alabama 4-1
How To Watch
What to Know
The Alabama Crimson Tide’s road trip will continue as they head out to face the Houston Cougars at 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Crimson Tide are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 89.6 points per game this season.
Alabama is headed into Tuesday’s contest after beating the impressive 168.5-point over/under the oddsmakers set for their last match against Illinois. Alabama walked away with a 100-87 win over Illinois on Wednesday. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Alabama’s victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Grant Nelson, who went 9 for 15 en route to 23 points plus eight rebounds and four blocks. The dominant performance also gave Nelson a new career-high in threes (four). Labaron Philon was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 16 points and nine assists.
Alabama was working as a unit and finished the game with 23 assists. The team’s really been improving in that area: they’ve now improved their assist total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, one look at the score and it should come as no surprise that Houston was far and away the favorite against Hofstra on Friday. Houston blew past Hofstra, posting an 80-44 win. The Cougars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matchups by 36 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Houston to victory, but perhaps none more so than Joseph Tugler, who made all 6 shots he took racking up 17 points. Tugler’s performance made up for a slower match against Louisiana two weeks ago. Another player making a difference was Emanuel Sharp, who went 5 for 6 en route to 16 points plus two steals.
Alabama’s victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Houston, they pushed their record up to 3-1 with the win, which was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season.
Tuesday’s contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Alabama has been crazy accurate this season, having made 49% of their field goals per game. However, it’s not like Houston struggles in that department as they’ve nailed 48.2% of their field goals this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Alabama is hoping to beat the odds on Tuesday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. This will be their first time playing as the underdogs this season.
Odds
Houston is a 4.5-point favorite against Alabama, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Cougars as a 3.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 150 points.
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Series History
Alabama has won both of the games they’ve played against Houston in the last 3 years.
- Dec 10, 2022 – Alabama 71 vs. Houston 65
- Dec 11, 2021 – Alabama 83 vs. Houston 82
