Wichita State Shockers at Houston Cougars Betting Preview

A showdown in the AAC highlights the Wednesday college basketball schedule, as the Wichita State Shockers visit the no. 11 Houston Cougars. At home, the Cougars are 11.5-point favorites with the over/under set at 135 points. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 pm EST.
The Cougars are a little over a week removed from their first loss of the season, a 65-64 heartbreaker against Tulsa. Before that, Houston had won seven in a row, including wins over Texas Tech, South Carolina, and Temple. The Cougars also bounced back from the loss to Tulsa by beating SMU over the weekend, keeping them near the top of the AAC standings.
Of course, the Shockers are currently first in the AAC with a 2-0 record inside conference play. The Shockers have taken down Tulsa and USF and also have a non-conference win over Ole Miss. However, early-season losses to Missouri and Oklahoma State helped knock Wichita State off the national radar, although a win over Houston on Wednesday could change that while giving the Shockers a marquee win in the post-Gregg Marshall era.
Lead the Way
Sophomore Tyson Etienne has been the main man for Wichita State early in the season. He’s fresh off a 29-point performance in the win over Ole Miss, bumping up his average to 17 points per game. Etienne knocked down five three-pointers in that game and is now shooting 37% from the perimeter. Meanwhile, senior Alterique Gilbert has been a good running mate for Etienne, as the diminutive guard is averaging 11.6 points per game.
However, frontcourt production has been lacking for the Shockers early in the season. Part of the problem is that Etienne and Gilbert are both more adept at scoring than setting up others. The Shockers also lack a consistent outside scorer other than Etienne. Dexter Dennis is the wild card on the perimeter because he’s a capable long-range shooter. But he can be hot and cold from one game to the next, which is why Etienne has to take on so much of Wichita State’s scoring.
Two-Man Game
Much like Wichita State, the Cougars have a dynamic duo in the backcourt in Quentin Grimes and Marcus Sasser. Grimes has become one of the AAC’s best guards, averaging 17.7 points per game with Sasser close behind at 15.3 points per game. However, Caleb Mills has walked away from the team for personal reasons, hurting Houston’s backcourt depth.
The other problem the Cougars have is their lack of size. Grimes and 6’7’’ forward Justin Gorham handle a lot of the rebounding, but neither provides a true post presence, which is a weakness that could be exposed inside the AAC. Meanwhile, the wild card on Houston’s roster is senior guard DeJon Jarreau. He also helps on the boards and leads the Cougars in assists. When he plays well, life is easier for scorers like Grimes and Sasser. However, Jarreau had no assists in Houston’s loss to Tulsa, which was telling.
Shock the World
The Cougars looked fine against SMU in a crucial bounce-back win. But facing another top-flight AAC team figures to be tricky, even if Houston has better scorers than Wichita State. Bet on the Shockers to beat the 11.5-point spread in a game that will be too close for comfort from Houston’s perspective.