Who's Playing

Northern Colorado @ No. 3 Houston

What to Know

The #3 Houston Cougars and the Northern Colorado Bears will face off at 8 p.m. ET November 7th at Fertitta Center to kick off their 2022 seasons. Houston was 32-6 last season and made it as far as the Elite Eight before being knocked out by the Villanova Wildcats 50-44. Meanwhile, Northern Colorado was on the positive side of .500 (22-16) last season and is hoping to kick off an even more successful year.

A pair of last-season defensive stats to keep an eye on: The Cougars held their opponents to a field goal percentage of 37.10%, good for first in college basketball. Less enviably, the Bears were 14th worst when it came to points allowed per game last year, with the team giving up 76.9 on average (bottom 96%). The good news for Northern Colorado, of course, is that these forces working against them might not carry over into the new season.

Houston has the odds in their favor, so they'll need to guard against complacency. These early season matchups can go either way as both teams get back into playing shape.

How To Watch

  • When: Monday at 8 p.m. ET
  • Where: Fertitta Center -- Houston, Texas
  • TV: ESPN Plus
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $3.00

Odds

The Cougars are a big 23.5-point favorite against the Bears, 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 23.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -109

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Series History

This is the first time these teams have played each other within the last seven years.