The ranked Houston Cougars host Mountain West Conference squad Utah State on Thursday, Dec. 20 in a competitive match. Because Houston’s ranked and Utah State isn’t, one would think the betting line could be Houston -8. That’s not the case. Right now, the line’s under 6. Will the Utah State Aggies hand Houston a loss? Or will Houston win and cover at home?

Utah State vs Houston NCAAB Lines & Betting Analysis

Aggies back to work on Thursday night at No. 21 Houston. Tip-off inside the Fertitta Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. (MT). Listen to the game on the Aggie Digital Network or watch it live on ESPN3. #AggiesAllTheWayNOTES 🔽🔽🔽https://t.co/1YT8ERGX74

— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) 18 de diciembre de 2018

• When: Thursday, Dec. 20 at 8:00 pm ET
• Where: Fertitta Center, Houston, TX
• TV: ESPN3
• Radio: Utah State / Houston
• Live Stream: WatchESPN
• ATS Odds: Houston -5.5 (-110)
• Over/Under Total Odds: 141 (-110)

Why Utah State Aggies are a good bet at +5.5?

The 9-2 Utah State Aggies have been ultra-competitive this season. Both losses were understandable: 82-87 to ASU on a neutral court, and 80-95 to BYU on the road. In the loss to BYU, the game just got away from them.

Utah State can run with the top teams in the nation. They also rank in the Top 4 in field goal percentage allowed. Opponents average 36.5% from the field versus the Aggies. If Houston believes the Aggies are an easy out, it will bite them.

Team Statistics

Offense:

• Points/G: 84
• Field Goal %: 49.4
• 3-Point %: 35.8
• Free Throw %: 77.1
• Rebounds/G: 42.7

Defense:

• Points/G: 66
• Field Goal %: 36.5
• 3-Point %: 31.5
• Free Throw %: 71.6
• Rebounds/G: 26.2

Why #20 Houston Cougars are a good bet at -5.5?

10-0 and undefeated, the Houston Cougars look to continue their scorching start to the season. Houston believes they’re getting no respect ranked only 20^th even though they have two quality road wins already this season: 76-62 at BYU and 63-53 at Oklahoma State.

The Cougars have also already beaten LSU, St. Louis, and Oregon. The reason Houston’s been so successful is because they don’t take any opponent lightly. They won’t take Utah State lightly, either, which means a win and cover could be in the cards for the Cougars.

Team Statistics

Offense:

• Points/G: 75.3
• Field Goal %: 44.9
• 3-Point %: 34.1
• Free Throw %: 70.6
• Rebounds/G: 41.2

Defense:

• Points/G: 60.2
• Field Goal %: 37.6
• 3-Point %: 26.9
• Free Throw %: 63.2
• Rebounds/G: 30

NCAAB Betting Trends for Utah State vs Houston

• Utah State is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games
• Utah State is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah State’s last 6 games on the road
• Houston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
• Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston’s last 8 games

Utah State vs Houston Final NCAAB Betting Analysis

This is a difficult game to handicap because both teams show decent trends. Utah State almost always covers while the Houston Cougars step it up following against the spread losses.

Which team looks good ATS on Thursday night? Utah State has shown that they can run if need be, or play stout defense and in the half court if they need to The Aggies are getting points versus Houston while the Cougars are only 4-3-1 ATS in home games.

It makes sense to back Utah State and take the points. Even though there’s a chance the game gets out of hand like what happened against BYU, the Aggies are a decent enough squad to make this one of those final shot matchups.

NCAAB Betting Pick: Utah State Aggies +5.5