Subscribe
Follow Us
It is a top-25 Big 12 match-up as Kansas faces Houston. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Kansas-Houston prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Kansas comes into the game sitting at 22-8 on the year while sitting 10-7 in conference play, which is tied for fourth in the Big 12. They have won three of their last five games, beating Kansas State last time out. They would win by 22 over Kansas State. That was coming off two losses, as they fell to BYU and Baylor in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, Houston comes into the game sitting at 27-3 on the year, while sitting 14-3 in conference play. They have won 14 of their last 15 games overall and played well for the most part. It was a struggle last time out though, as they faced UCF. Houston was down at the half but would make a comeback, winning 67-59. This will be the second time Houston and Kansas will face off this year. In the first game. Kansas took a 78-65 victory at home.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Kansas-Houston Odds
Kansas: +8.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +340
Houston: -8.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -450
Over: 136.5 (-110)
Under: 136.5 (-110)
How to Watch Kansas vs. Houston
Time: 4:00 PM ET/ 1:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Kansas Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kansas ranks 17th in KenPoms' adjusted efficiency running this year, sitting 38th on offense and 10th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Kansas sits 70th in the nation in points per game this year but is second in the nation in assists per game. Further, they are tenth in the nation in shooting percentage. Kansas is led by Kevin McCullar Jr. He comes in with 19.1 points per game this year while shooting 46.0 percent from the field this year. He has also been the primary three-point man, coming away with 39 of 114 three attempts this year. Meanwhile, Hunter Dickinson comes in with 18.2 points per game this year. He is shooting great, making 55.2 percent of his shots from the field. Also helping the offense is Dajuan Harris Jr. He comes in with just 8.5 points per game, but his 6.6 assists per game lead the team.
Kansas sits 128th in the nation in rebounding this year, but they are 39th in the nation in defensive rebounds on the season. This is led by Hunter Dickinson. He comes in with 11.0 rebounds per game this year while being an overall force in the middle. He is also helped by McCullar, who comes in with 6.2 rebounds per game of his own.
The Kansas defense is 76th in the nation in total points against this year but is 44th in opponent effective field goal percentage. Kansas is great at forcing turnovers. Dajuan Harris comes in with 1.6 steals per game, while Kevin McCullar comes in with 1.6 steals per game. Further, two other players have a steal per game. One of them is Hunter Dickinson, who also has 1.4 blocks per game this year.
Why Houston Will Cover The Spread/Win
Houston is ranked first in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are ranked 12th in adjusted offensive efficiency, but first in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. Houston is 133rd in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 215th in effective field goal percentage. LJ Cryer leads the way on offense this year. He is scoring 15.8 points per game this year while shooting 41.3 percent. He is helped out by Jamal Shead. Shead is averaging 13.2 points per game this year, while also having 6.2 assists per game this year, which leads the team. Rounding out the top scorers this year is Emanuel Sharp. He had 12.4 points per game this year, with 37.0 percent shooting this year.
Houston is 51st in the NCAA in rebounds per game this year. They are fourth in the nation in offensive rebounding rate this year, but 170th in defensive rebounding rate this year. This is led by J'Wan Roberts this year, with 6.9 rebounds per game this year. Meanwhile, Ja'Vier Francis comes in with 5.3 rebounds per game this year. Further, two other players come in with over four rebounds per game this year. One of those is Terrance Arceneaux, but he has not played since December 16th.
Houston is number one in the nation in points against per game. They are fourth in opponent effective field goal percentage this year while sitting 33rd in blocks and fourth in steals. Jamal Shead comes in with 2.3 steals per game this year. Meanwhile, Emanuel Sharp has 1.6 steals per game, while two other guys have a steal or more per game. Further, Ja'Vier Francis has 1.5 blocks per game, while Joseph Tugler has 1.1 per game.
Final Kansas-Houston Prediction & Pick
Houston has been winning a lot as of late, but they are not covering the spread. They have covered the spread just twice in the last ten games. Kansas has not been great at covering as of late either. They have covered five of their last ten overall. This game will come down to the two defensive units. Kanas is a streaky shooting team. If they go cold, Houston can easily take advantage. Further, if the Kansas defense cannot make stops on a highly efficient Houston offense, the game will get out of hand. Houston has been the better team all year, and they get their revenge on Kansas at home.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Kansas-Houston Prediction & Pick: Houston -8.5 (-120)
