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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Houston-Oklahoma State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Houston-Oklahoma State.
The Houston Cougars have endured some tough losses in the first several weeks of the college basketball season. They lost a close game to Auburn. They lost a close game to Alabama. They lost a close game to San Diego State. Houston is a team known for having ferocious, tough, junkyard defenses under head coach Kelvin Sampson. This has usually pulled the Cougars through some very difficult situations over the past few years. It is why the Cougars have been a No. 1 seed in each of the past two NCAA Tournaments and made the 2021 Final Four. Houston has been hugely successful in this decade, and so it was natural to think the Coogs would keep rolling along this season.
It hasn't quite worked out that way. The roster just hasn't come together quite as fully as Sampson hoped. Houston's frontcourt has not been able to make as big an impact as this team has needed. We need to see growth and evolution from UH, and now that conference play is starting for real — the two-month-long conference grind begins with this game at Oklahoma State — the Cougars have a chance to hit the reset button on their season.
Oklahoma State has the same 8-3 record Houston owns, but OSU has not played nearly the same schedule Houston has. UH has played much tougher opponents in its first 11 games of the season. That has to be the big concern for Oklahoma State here: matching Houston's energy level and knowing that UH is much more battle-tested. Oklahoma State would love to turn this 40-minute game into a five-minute sprint to the finish line at the end of regulation. Can OSU hang in the ring for the first 35 minutes and enable this game to come down to a few final possessions?
Here are the Houston-Oklahoma State College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Houston-Oklahoma State Odds
Houston: -12.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -1000
Oklahoma State: +12.5 (-105)
Moneyline: +640
Over: 137.5 (-110)
Under: 137.5 (-110)
How to Watch Houston vs Oklahoma State
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Houston Will Cover The Spread/Win
Houston has struggled a lot in nonconference play. Now that conference action is beginning, you could see a mentally refreshed Houston team which is ready to finally put its best foot forward and establish control of games and opponents. When Houston is playing well, it absolutely smothers opponents with its defense. Houston will look at Oklahoma State's loss to Oklahoma, and some of the other games in which the Cowboys haven't played well this season, and will come away convinced it can fully dominate this game at that end of the floor. That's how UH will cover the double-digit spread.
Why Oklahoma State Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cowboys are getting 12.5 points at home in a conference game. Even though Houston is undeniably a better team overall, conference road games are hard to win for anyone. Conference home games give home underdogs a fighting chance. OSU can lose by 12 and still cover? That's a great bet to make.
Final Houston-Oklahoma State Prediction & Pick
We are leaning to Oklahoma State, but we don't trust betting on the clearly inferior team in a matchup. Pass.
Final Houston-Oklahoma State Prediction & Pick: Oklahoma State +12.5
