Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Houston and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They are fully in control with a 39-17 lead over Penn.

Houston entered the matchup having won 12 straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it 13, or will Penn step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

Penn Quakers @ Houston Cougars

Current Records: Penn 8-5, Houston 12-0

How To Watch

What to Know

Penn has quite the challenge ahead of them as they're expected to be blown off the court. They will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Houston Cougars at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Fertitta Center. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Penn ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They snuck past the Broncs with a 77-73 win. The win made it back-to-back wins for Penn.

Meanwhile, Houston put another one in the bag last Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past the Bobcats, posting a 72-37 win at home. The result was nothing new for Houston, who have now won seven matches by 31 points or more so far this season.

Houston can attribute much of their success to Ja'Vier Francis, who scored 13 points along with five rebounds, and Emanuel Sharp, who scored 17 points along with four steals.

The Quakers' victory ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 8-5. As for the Cougars, they pushed their record up to 12-0 with that victory, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the pair are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Penn hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 80.9 points per game. However, it's not like Houston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 75.5 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.

Houston and Penn pleased both fans and bettors in their last matchups by winning and covering the spread. As for their next game, the game looks promising for Houston, as the team is favored by a full 26 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they're sitting on a four game streak of covering the spread when playing at home.

Odds

Houston is a big 26-point favorite against Penn, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 26-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is set at 132 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.