When you sign-up through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more >

SMU Mustangs vs Houston Cougars: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Written by: Andre Viljoen
Updated October 14, 2022
6 min read

How to Watch

Where: The Fertitta Center in Houston, TX, USA.

When: Thursday, March 7th at 9pm EST.

How (TV/Radio): ESPN

SMU Mustangs (Away)

Head Coach: Tim Jankovich {Overall: 13-15, .464 W-L% | Conference: 5-11, T-9th in AAC}

With major postseason play an afterthought, the Mustangs head to Houston looking to play spoiler and put a dent in the Cougars’ resume. February was not kind to SMU, as Tim Jankovich’s squad won just one game that month, which came at home against UConn on February 21st.

In their most recent game, the Mustangs fell to Wichita State at Moody Coliseum on March 3rd. The Shockers took down SMU 67-55, on a disappointing Senior Day where freshman reserve Feron Hunt led the team in scoring with 14 points. Senior leading scorer Jahmal McMurray finished with 13 points in his final home game on 5 of 15 shooting from the field, and 1 of 7 from three-point range.

The Mustangs will look to avenge their earlier 69-58 loss to Houston on January 16th. If history is any indication, evening the score will be a tall task for SMU, who has not beaten a ranked Houston team since 1993 and has not accomplished this feat on the road since 1982.

Houston Cougars (Home)

Head Coach: Kelvin Sampson {Overall: 27-2, .931 W-L% | Conference: 14-2, T-1st in AAC}

After rampaging through their conference schedule, the Cougars finally hit a blip this past weekend against UCF on their home court. Houston fell to the Knights 69-64 where leading scorer Corey Davis Jr. had 19 points. Sophomore guard Dejon Jarreau came off the bench to contribute 14 points, in a game where the Cougars shot themselves in the foot by hitting their free throws at just a 50% clip.

Despite the loss, bracket experts have Houston as a 3 seed in their projections, which should give them a very favorable matchup starting out.

SMU Roster Notes

There are no injuries or roster news to report for the Mustangs.

Houston Roster Notes

Houston has no injuries or roster changes to report.

Head-to-Head: Jahmal McMurray vs Armoni Brooks

Jahmal McMurray

Shooting Guard | 6-0, 175lb (183cm, 79kg) | Sunrise Christian Academy | Topeka, KS | Senior

17.8 PPG | 2.4 APG | 2.4 RPG | 0.6 SPG | 0.1 BPG | 1.7 TOV | .438 FG% | .378 3P%

Armoni Brooks

Shooting Guard | 6-3, 195lb (190cm, 88kg) | McNeill HS | Round Rock, TX | Junior

13.5 PPG | 0.9 APG | 6.4 RPG | 0.7 SPG | 0.3 BPG | 1.0 TOV | .398 FG% | .396 3P%

The matchup to look out for in this contest will be between two volume shooters who are capable of scoring in bunches. Despite their relatively high usage rates, they have managed to take care of the ball, as evidenced by their top-10 conference rankings in turnover percentage.

Jahmal McMurray has been a scorer from the moment he started his career at South Florida to his second season in Dallas. After averaging an alarming 4.7 turnovers per game his sophomore year in Tampa, McMurray has cut that figure down by more than half, making him a player Tim Jankovich can trust in crunch time. The man can also get buckets as he has managed six games with 25 or more points.

Like McMurray, Armoni Brooks has been an asset to his team not just with his scoring touch, but his ability to not cough up the ball. Brooks’ 4.9 turnover percentage ranked fourth in the country last year and second in his conference. The Texan has also proven to be a solid three-point shooter, leading the conference this season in threes made and three-point percentage.

SMU at Houston Predictions and Odds

Oddsmakers currently favor Houston at home by 14 points over SMU, while the over/under for the game is 136.

Image for Andre Viljoen

AUTHOR

Andre Viljoen

150 Articles

Andre has been writing for WSN since February 2019, covering college basketball and college football. A graduate of Florida State and UNC-Chapel Hill, he lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. When he is not writing, he enjoys playing sports and Magic: The Gathering.

Email: [email protected]

More info on Andre Viljoen
We've been featured on:
espn logo
reuters logo
cbs-news logo
forbes logo
entrepreneur logo
entrepreneur logo
We only list licensed sportsbooks
WorldSportsNetwork
WorldSportsNetwork
WorldSportsNetwork
WorldSportsNetwork

© Rebel Penguin ApS 2024 (a subsidiary of Gaming Innovation Group Inc.)

We support responsible gambling. 21+ Only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.

WSN.com is run by iGaming Cloud Inc (a Gaming Innovation Group Subsidiary) and is registered with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) under affiliate vendor ID 89744, with the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) under certificate of registration number SWR-000148, approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board as a gaming service provider, under certificate registration number 117656-1, possesses a Vendor Minor sports betting license from the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission (account number 94414163), granted a vendor registration number VR007603-20-001 by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, an interim Sports Wagering Supplier license, under license number SWS 066, issued by the West Virginia Lottery Commission, a sports betting vendor registration, under registration number #100400, issued by the Director of Gaming Licensing and Investigations of the Virginia Lottery to operate in the State of Virginia, and a Vendor Registration issued by the Sports Wagering Committee of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation.

Advertising disclosure: WSN contains links to online retailers on its website. When people click on our affiliate links and make purchases, WSN earns a commission from our partners, including ESPN and various sportsbooks.