The Houston Cougars enter this game ranked 1^st in the AP Poll and 1^st in the Coaches Poll while having won their previous eight matchups in a row including an 89-59 win at home against the Tulane Green Wave on Wednesday.Meanwhile, the East Carolina Pirates enter this game having won three of their last five games which includes Tuesdays 62-60 win on the road against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.BookMaker has the Houston Cougars listed as 20-point favorites on the road against the East Carolina Pirates and has set the total for the over/under plays at 135 points. Will the Cougars win in a blowout or will the Pirates keep the game closer than expected at home? Lets take a closer look at how these teams are faring this season.Houston Cougars Team PreviewThe Houston Cougars enter this game ranked 1^st in both the AP and Coaches Polls with an overall record of 26-2 which puts them in 1^st place in the AAC and are coming off an 89-59 win at home against the Tulane Green Wave. The Cougars are 17-11 ATS overall, 7-2 ATS on the road, 17-11 ATS as a favorite, and 8-7 ATS in Conference games this season.Marcus Sasser leads the team in scoring with an average of 16.9 points per game this season. JWan Roberts leads the team in rebounds with an average of 7.3 rebounds per game on the year. Jamal Shead leads the team in assists with an average of 5.6 assists per game. JaVier Francis leads the team in blocks with an average of 1.4 blocks per game this season.East Carolina Pirates Team PreviewThe East Carolina Pirates enter this game with an overall record of 14-13 which puts them in 8^th place in the AAC and are coming off a 62-60 win on the road against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. The Pirates are 15-12 ATS overall, 9-5 ATS at home, 9-7 ATS as an underdog, and 6-8 ATS as an underdog this season.Javon Small leads the team in scoring and assists with an average of 15.8 points and 5.6 assists per game this season. Brandon Johnson leads the team in rebounds and blocks with an average of 8.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game on the year.Series Trends and Game PickHouston has won nine of the last ten games in the series and has won by an average score of 83.2 to 60.1 while going 6-3-1 ATS in those matchups. The Cougars have won two of the last three games in the series and have won by an average score of 73.67 to 59 while the Pirates are 2-1 ATS in those contests.The over has hit in six of the last ten games in the series with the teams combining for an average of 143.3 points per game in those contests. The under has hit in two of the last three games in the series with the teams combining for an average of 132.67 points per game in those matchups.Houston is the better team this season and has been the better team in the series, winning nine of the last ten and two of the last three games. The Cougars are 6-3-1 ATS in the last ten games in the series. As a result, I am taking the Houston Cougars -20 on BookMaker for this matchup on Saturday night.Spooky Express Pick: Houston Cougars -20