Houston vs. Virginia odds, line: Proven model reveals college basketball picks for Dec. 17, 2022, non-conference showdown

Two red-hot teams collide when the No. 5 Houston Cougars face the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers in a non-conference showdown in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday afternoon. The Cougars are off to a 10-1 start to the season with their only loss coming on Dec. 10 against eighth-ranked Alabama, 71-65. Houston rebounded with a vengeance, crushing North Carolina A&T 74-46 on Tuesday. The Cavaliers have opened their season 8-0, including a pair of wins over ranked opponents. Since 2017-18, Virginia and Houston have been two of college basketball's best programs. Virginia is 136-34 during the six-year span, while Houston is 153-31.

The game from John Paul Jones Arena tips off at 2 p.m. ET. Houston is favored by 2.5 points at Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points is set at 115 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page).

Before making any Houston vs. Virginia picks, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 6 of the 2022-23 college basketball season on a strong 17-10 roll on all-top rated CBB picks, returning almost $300. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns!

The model knows Houston senior guard Marcus Sasser has reached double-digit scoring in nine of 11 games this season, including a 17-point performance in Tuesday's win over North Carolina A&T. Sasser has reached 20 or more points in three games, including 25 in a 100-52 win over Norfolk State on Nov. 29. For the season, Sasser is averaging 16.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is one of the better free-throw shooters on the team, connecting on 85.7% of his foul shots.

The model also knows the Cavaliers have four players averaging double-figure scoring, led by senior guard Kihei Clark and senior forward Jayden Gardner. Clark is averaging 11.6 points, five assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He is connecting on 42.3% of his 3-pointers, and has reached double digits in each of the past three games, including 18 points against both James Madison on Tuesday and Florida State last Saturday. He had 16 in a 70-68 victory at Michigan on Nov. 29.

Now, it has set its sights on Houston vs. Virginia. It is leaning Over on the total and it has also generated an against-the-spread pick that hits in nearly 70% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Houston vs. Virginia? And which side of the spread hits in nearly 70% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Houston vs. Virginia spread you should be all over Saturday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!