A Cougar Tale ...

Sports bettors typically fall into one of two categories: system players or situational bettors. System players generally take a broader view and follow rules like this: Bet against any favorite playing its third straight game on the road. A situational better is more into examining the matchup, and the strengths and weaknesses of each team. Although the selections you see here will almost always be based on "Situational Handicapping" there are certainly systems that make sense. Here's one tested system play worth monitoring during the remainder of the college basketball season: Bet on an unranked team when it's a home favorite against a team ranked in the Top 25. In those situations you typically have an extra-motivated team playing on its home court. Teams are 12-7 ATS in that situation this season.

RBROWNBETS: There's a limited college basketball menu tonight, but we have a good one in Houston (23-4) at Kansas (20-7). The Cougars are favored by 1.5 with a total of 137.5 at Draftkings. Kansas has lost two of its last three games and is dealing with the Darryn Peterson distraction. Houston is coming off losses to Iowa State and Arizona, both quality opponents. The Cougars haven't lost three games in a row since 2017. Houston also has a pretty good freshman in Kingston Flemings. The Cougars are first among Big 12 teams in points allowed (62.0) and forced turnovers (13.9), and second in offensive rebounds (13.1). In addition, Houston usually takes care of the basketball. The Cougars average fewer turnovers per game (8.3) than any other Big 12 team. Kansas is a formidable oppoent, especially at home, but the Jayhawks are also unpredictable. You're more likely to get a consistent effort from Kelvin Sampson's bunch. We recommend a play on Houston at -1 or better if available. Otherwise, take the Cougars on the moneyline (-135).