Subscribe
Follow Us
It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Butler-Houston prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Butler-Houston.
The college basketball season has taken a wrong turn for the Houston Cougars. Their loss to Auburn was part of a thrilling and generally well-played game, but it was still a loss.
Houston has continued to lose tough and close games, falling to Alabama and San Diego State last week. It is as though one loss is bleeding into the next game, with the Cougars losing confidence in what they do and how they go about their business. Coach Kelvin Sampson has to find a way to get more out of his roster and find options which can provide more consistent production, particularly in high-leverage late-game situations. Houston isn't getting blown out, but it is falling short nevertheless. The Cougars have to find ways of turning three- or four-point losses into three- or four-point victories. This team is going through a rough patch, but given the track record of Sampson and Houston in the past few seasons, the Cougars have to believe and expect that brighter days are ahead and that they will be ready for the start of the Big 12 basketball season.
Butler is led by coach Thad Matta, whom you might remember as the former coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes who led OSU to the 2007 national championship game with Greg Oden at center. Matta then returned to the Final Four at Ohio State in 2012, losing to Bill Self and Kansas in the national semifinals. Matta is trying to restore Butler basketball, which struggled in recent seasons after the long run of prosperity under Brad Stevens and then Chris Holtmann in the 2010s. Butler has notched some good wins so far this season, beating Andy Enfield's SMU Mustangs and then beating a really good Mississippi State team coached by Chris Jans. There are definite signs that this Butler team is growing and improving. Matta wants to maintain the clear and steady positive trajectory with the Big East regular season not that far away.
Here are the Butler-Houston College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Butler-Houston Odds
Butler: +16.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +950
Houston: -16.5 (+100)
Moneyline: -2000
Over: 134.5 (-110)
Under: 134.5 (-110)
How to Watch Butler vs Houston
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Butler Will Cover The Spread/Win
The spread is huge, and Houston has been struggling. We don't need to make things any more complicated or nuanced than necessary. Houston has not been playing nearly well enough to justify betting on UH as a favorite of more than 15 points. Butler has been playing competitive winning basketball and has some margin for error here.
Why Houston Will Cover The Spread/Win
Houston will be intent on correcting mistakes, playing a lot better, finding solutions to its mediocre play, and generally attacking an opponent for 40 whole minutes. Butler's wins so far this season have come against a mixture of cupcakes and good teams, but Houston is a real step up in weight class, and we are not sure that Butler will be ready for the defensive pressure and energy Houston typically brings to the table. The Cougars can certainly cover the large spread without too much of a problem.
Final Butler-Houston Prediction & Pick
We are leaning to Houston, given that Butler has not faced a team nearly this talented so far this season. Take Houston.
Final Butler-Houston Prediction & Pick: Houston -16.5
