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Posted at 2:15 PM EST. 

8:00 PM EST. Tulane went 6-25 last season and it also went 3-15 in the conference. This year, the Green Wave are 11-6 overall but they’ve lost three of their last four and have been bottom feeding for years. In other words, the Green Wave has about as much credibility right now as Kevin Spacey does in Hollywood. However, Tulane is much improved this year with several notable strong performances, which includes a win over SMU, a seven-point loss at Memphis and a 10-point win over Temple. We’re not here to gloat over the Green Wave however, as this is all about fading the Cougars in a horrible spot.    

It might be a bit disconcerting to Kelvin Sampson to know his team is about as good (very) as it was last season, yet his previous group was left on the outside looking in at tournament time. This season, however, nonconference wins over Arkansas, Providence and Wake Forest have improved the Cougars' tournament profile at least to the point where Lunardi's projecting them as a bubble team right now. Houston might or might not make the 2018 NCAA tournament but if the Cougs do get that far, they could bust some brackets. The first order of business for the Cougars will be putting together a profile worthy of an at-large bid in case it comes to that. Houston has won six of seven and overall it is 14-3 (4-1 in conference) with only loss over that span occurring in Wichita State and that’s our focus here, as the Cougars have the Shockers on deck in Houston on Saturday. That game at home against the Shockers is of mammoth importance. A win over Wichita gives Houston's at-large chances a significant boost while a win or loss here means next to nothing. Situationally speaking, put the points in your pocket and don’t be surprised to see the dog win this one outright in a huge look-ahead spot for the favorite. 

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