Penn at Houston odds, picks and predictions
The Penn Quakers (8-5) and Houston Cougars (12-0) meet Saturday at the Fertitta Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the Penn vs. Houston odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The Quakers have posted consecutive wins and covers, including a 77-73 OT win at Rider last time out on Dec. 23. However, Penn lost its only previous game against a ranked team, falling 81-66 at Kentucky on Dec. 9 as a 13.5-point underdog as the Under (149.5) cashed. The Over is 6-2-1 in the past 9 games overall.
The Cougars have passed all tests so far, including victories over Dayton, Texas A&M, Utah and Xavier. Houston is also a solid 5-2-1 against the spread (ATS) in the previous 8 outings.
This will be Houston's 1st game against an Ivy League opponent since losing to Harvard at home on Dec. 23, 2016, by a 57-56 score as a 12-point favorite.
Houston is No. 3 in the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll.
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
Penn at Houston odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsboo; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Penn +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000) | Houston -10000 (bet $10,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Penn +25.5 (-110) | Houston -25.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 131.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Penn at Houston picks and predictions
Prediction
Houston 83, Penn 54
Moneyline
Houston (-10000) is way too expensive to play straight up or as part of a parlay.
PASS, and look to the spread instead.
Against the spread
HOUSTON -25.5 (-110) is worth playing at home, as the Cougars have been amazing defensively. Penn +25.5 (-110) is going to have a difficult time solving the Cougars D, which ranks No. 1 in the nation with just 50.0 PPG allowed through 12 games while holding teams to just 34.8% shooting from the field.
The Quakers failed to cover in their only previous game this season at Kentucky against a ranked team, and Penn is just 1-4 ATS in 5 games off campus this season.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Over/Under
OVER 131.5 (-110) is worth a look, but go with a half-unit play at most.
The Over cashed in Penn's most recent game, albeit an OT win at Rider. The Over is also 6-2-1 in the past 9 games overall while going 3-1 in the past 4 games off campus.
For Houston, the Over has cashed in 2 of the past 3 games despite the team's impressive lockdown defense. Houston has held 7 of its 12 opponents to 50 or fewer points, so be careful.
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from Paste BN Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin /
College Sports Wire: Men's hoops / Women's hoops / High School
[]