8* Houston (8:00 ET): Houston, who was in the Final Four last season, is a team I believe should have been in the Top 10 long ago. They’re finally there after seven straight wins, most of which have been by double digits. But the Cougars did survive a close one Saturday at Tulsa, holding on for a two-point win as 11-point favorites. Injuries continue to mount for Kelvin Sampson’s team, but note they were up 17 at the half on Tulsa. Here they face a team that just beat by 17 on the road earlier this month.

Including the one vs. Houston, South Florida had lost its first three conference games by an average of just over 14 PPG. But the Bulls then pulled off a somewhat shocking result on Saturday, beating UCF 75-51 as an eight-point dog. But that was at home and the opponent had an absolutely miserable shooting night, making only 33.3% for the game including 2 of 20 from three-point range. That led to USF’s biggest margin of victory over UCF in seven years. The other key was a near 2:1 rebounding edge (53-26).

All of the Bulls’ victories this season have come when they have an edge on the boards. That is unlikely to happen tonight as Houston typically controls the glass and will be using a larger lineup due to the injuries in the backcourt. The Cougars are 9-0 SU at home this season, winning by an average of almost 30 PPG. USF is shooting just 38.4% for the season and can’t count on UH shooting the ball as poorly as UCF did. The Cougars have won all five meetings the L3 seasons, four of them by 17+ points. 8* Houston