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Wichita State Shockers at Houston Cougars Betting Preview

The No. 25 Houston Cougars will try to remain on top of the American Athletic Conference when they face the feisty Wichita State Shockers on Sunday afternoon. At home, the Cougars are favored by 5.5 points with an over/under of 134.5 points.

Houston is currently tied with Cincinnati atop the AAC standings, with both teams being 8-2 in league play. Of course, there are three teams within two games of them in the standings, so things are tight at the top. The Cougars had been rolling before a loss to Cincinnati last weekend. However, they got back on track midweek with a 13-point win over Tulane.

As for the Shockers, they are reeling with four losses in their last six games. In fairness, their two most recent losses came by a combined four points to Cincinnati and Tulsa, two of the best teams in the AAC. However, they have slipped to the middle of the pack in the conference, and despite a 17-5 record overall, Wichita State needs to start stringing wins together if it wants to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Man in the Middle

Wichita State is starting to look more toward senior Jaime Echenique to lead them late in the year. While he averages just 11.6 points per game, the 6-11 center has scored at least 14 points in three straight games. That includes a double-double in back-to-back games despite the Shockers losing both contests.

Of course, Wichita State needs more than Echenique to get things turned around. Leading scorer Erik Stevenson has been a shadow of his former self in recent weeks. He’s scored in double figures just once in his last six games, causing him to lose his starting spot.

There’s no shortage of options in the Wichita State backcourt. But the Shockers are a young team, and they need an experienced sophomore like Stevenson to get back on track and start leading the team.

Young and Hungry

Houston has a team that’s been led all season by young players. The one who’s been standing out the most lately has been freshman Caleb Mills, who leads the Cougars in scoring with more than 13 points per game.

He’s scored at least 20 points three times in his last nine games and is fresh off an 18-point effort in just 22 minutes of action against Tulane on Thursday.

The caveat is that Mills struggled in last week’s loss to Cincinnati, going 3-of-19 from the field. He also managed just five points in Houston’s first game against Wichita State this year. That’s a good sign that the Cougars will need other players to step up on Sunday.

Fortunately, they have four other players who average at least nine points per game on the season. That includes big guards like Quentin Grimes and Nate Hinton, who will look to bully Wichita State’s smaller guards.

The Slump Continues

The Wichita State offense was stifled when it hosted Houston last month, scoring just 54 points. The Shockers have been held under 60 points in four of their last six games despite averaging 74 points on the season. That’s unlikely to change against a Houston team that’s strong on both ends. Bet on the Cougars to cover the 5.5-point spread.

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