Defense meets offense when the No. 5 Houston Cougars (10-1) are on the road to face the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers (8-0, 1-0 ACC) on Saturday. Houston dominated the North Carolina A&T Aggies 74-46 at Fertitta Center on Tuesday.
Ja’Vier Francis had a standout performance with 17 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks. Virginia won their eighth in a row on December 6 at John Paul Jones Arena, beating the James Madison Dukes 55-50. Kihei Clark topped the scoresheet with 18 points.
With 14 points and eight rebounds, Jayden Gardner also produced a strong performance. It’s the only meeting of the season between the teams. Houston took the only matchup between the teams last season 67-47 at Fertitta Center in November 2021. Marcus Sasser led the Cougars with 19 points.
Armaan Franklin had 11 points in the loss. Sasser is averaging 16.2 points per game to lead the Cougars in scoring this season. Meanwhile, J’Wan Roberts is grabbing 7.1 rebounds per game, and Jamal Shead is dishing 5.7 assists.
Gardner (11.6 ppg), Clark (11.6), and Franklin (11.0) have powered the Cavaliers on offense. Gardner also has averaged 6.4 rebounds per game, while Clark has doled out 5.0 assists per game.
The Cougars are second in defensive efficiency in the country, while the Cavaliers rank 20th in offensive efficiency. Houston is 9-1 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +22.3 (73.0-50.7).
COUGARS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Ja’Vier Francis: 14.2 | 10.6 | +3.6
Terrance Arceneaux: 6.8 | 9.9 | -3.1
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Virginia (+125)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
