After winning the regular season conference title in their first year in the Big 12, the Houston Cougars are now looking to claim the conference tournament championship. But No. 1 Houston (29-3, 15-3 Big 12) first has to get past No. 25 Texas Tech (23-9, 11-7) in the Big 12 tournament semifinal Friday night in Kansas City. Unsurprisingly, the Cougars are heavy betting favorites to win and move on to the tournament final Saturday against either No. 7 Iowa State or No. 14 Baylor (pending the outcome of tonight’s other Big 12 semifinal).
Houston didn’t just dominate this season, they did so in the best conference in college basketball. The Cougars ended the regular season on a nine-game win streak, then picked right back up with an easy 60-45 win over TCU in Thursday’s tournament quarterfinal game. Although Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology continues to project Purdue as the NCAA Tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, others have made the case that it should be Houston. A clean sweep in the Big 12 tournament could help seal the deal.
As 4-seed in the Big 12 tournament, Texas Tech made relatively quick work of No. 20 BYU Thursday, limiting the Big 12’s top-scoring offense to just 23 first-half points and fending off a second-half surge to win 81-67. The Red Raiders’ regular season record has ensured they’ll get an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. ESPN’s Bracketology projects the Red Raiders as a 7-seed.
Houston and Texas Tech face off in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals Friday at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN 2.
Live odds for Houston vs. Texas Tech
Here are the spread, moneyline and total points live odds for Houston vs. Texas Tech at the best online sportsbooks.
Bet now at the best college basketball betting sites using the latest sportsbook promos and bonuses.
Houston Cougars betting news
In recent history, the Cougars have performed well in tournament play. Before moving to the Big 12 this year, Houston won two of the last three American Athletic Conference tournaments. Kelvin Sampson has led the team to at least the Sweet 16 in the last four NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four run in 2021.
The Cougars’ smothering defense is unparalleled this season. Besides sitting atop KenPom’s overall rankings, Houston is also No. 1 in adjusted defense efficiency and adjusted efficiency margins, allowing an average of just 56.9 PPG. In Thursday’s tournament quarterfinal, Houston kept a usually good-scoring TCU team to just 15 points in the first half.
Houston is 4-6 against the spread in their last 10 games and 15-15-2 ATS overall. The Cougars’ strong defense has led to totals hitting the UNDER in 19 of the team’s 32 games this season, including in four of their last five.
Houston’s scoring leaders are senior guards L.J. Cryer (15.7 PPG) and Jamal Shead (13.2), while sophomore guard Emanuel Sharp averages 12.8. J’Wan Roberts (9.9 PPG) leads the team in rebounds with 7.0 per game, followed by junior forward Ja’Vier Francis with 5.1 RPG.
When Houston played Texas Tech in January, the Cougars were coming off an uncharacteristic two-game losing streak. Fueled by Shead’s career-high 29 points, Houston won that matchup 77-54 and would only lose one more game the rest of the season.
Check and bet: College basketball odds | March Madness betting sites | North Carolina sportsbook bonuses | ACC Tournament odds at North Carolina sportsbooks
Texas Tech Red Raiders betting news
Texas Tech ended the regular season 6-4, a run that included a tough road loss to UCF but also a dominating 79-50 victory over then-No. 6 Kansas. The Red Raiders ended the regular season with an impressive 78-68 win over Baylor. TTU ranks 23rd in KenPom’s overall rankings, with an adjusted offensive efficiency KenPom rating that ranks 24th in the country. The Red Raiders are one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the Big 12, averaging 8.6 per game and shooting threes at a 36.6% clip.
Texas Tech has a pretty split record against the spread overall (15-16-1), but they’re 6-3-1 ATS when playing ranked opponents and 4-1 in their last five games. After totals hit the OVER in eight of TTU’s first nine conference games, the UNDER has hit in seven of their last 10 games, indicative of the grind of a Big 12 season.
The Red Raiders’ offense is driven by sophomore guard Pop Isaacs, the fourth-leading scorer in the Big 12 who averages 16.2 PPG (along with 3.2 rebounds) and had 22 points in Thursday’s quarterfinal. Senior guard Joe Toussaint averages 12.3 PPG while Chance McMillian gives the team good minutes off the bench (he had 17 against BYU Thursday). Darrion Williams leads the team in rebounds, averaging 7.6 per game to go along with his 11.6 PPG. Warren Washington isn’t far behind with 7.4 RPG, but the 7-foot senior forward has been out with a foot injury and is listed as day-to-day.
Houston vs. Texas Tech player props at top online sportsbooks
Here are some of the top player prop markets for Houston vs. Texas Tech from the top U.S. online sportsbooks.
Houston vs. Texas Tech prediction: Red Raiders keep things close but Cougars move on to final
Houston just seems to have too much momentum to be stopped at this stage. But the Red Raiders can be competitive, especially if Isaacs gets going. Though the Cougars won their last two games by double digits against good teams (KU, TCU), before that, less-good teams UCF and Cincinnati only lost by eight, they beat Oklahoma by two and Baylor took them to OT before losing by six. It’ll take all they’ve got, but Texas Tech has a good chance of keeping things close.
Pick: Texas Tech
