The Houston Cougars take on the Texas Longhorns. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Houston Texas prediction and pick. Find how to watch Houston Texas.
This is the best game on the Monday night college basketball slate. It's an old Southwest Conference matchup between Houston and Texas. The two schools won't be conference members next year when Texas moves to the SEC, so this is a very special occasion. Houston won't go to Austin in the future unless it is for a nonconference game. The crowd in Austin will be deafening as the No. 4 Cougars — with just two losses on the season — come to town trying to maintain their spot as a projected No. 1 seed for the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Texas is 3-4 in the Big 12 after getting thumped this past Saturday at BYU. The Longhorns have had an up-and-down month of January in the very difficult and unforgiving Big 12 Conference, arguably the toughest top-to-bottom conference in men's college basketball. Let's be clear, though: Being 3-4 in the Big 12 is not a badge of shame. There are lots of good teams in the league. BYU is an NCAA Tournament team. Texas Tech is an NCAA Tournament team. Losing to those schools isn't destructive to Texas's resume. Those results merely prevent Texas from getting a higher NCAA Tournament seed. Texas versus Houston promises to be a thriller, and it will be fascinating to see which team can make the crunch-time plays which will decide the outcome.
Here are the Houston-Texas College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Houston-Texas Odds
Houston Cougars: -4.5 (-110)
Texas Longhorns: +4.5 (-110)
Over: 129.5 (-110)
Under: 129.5 (-110)
How To Watch Houston vs Texas
Time: 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Houston Could Cover the Spread
The Houston Cougars rely on their defense and rebounding. They love rugged, physical basketball. They are a well-conditioned team. They depend on being the hungrier team who can wear down an opponent over the course of 40 minutes. They are made for the Big 12 and its intense, punishing quality of basketball, in which every possession is a battle and every loose ball is as valuable as a precious gem. Houston loves playing street-fighter basketball in which the game gets a little chippy. As long as Texas does not shoot extremely well — which Houston's defense is generally able to prevent against most opponents — the Cougars should be able to establish and maintain a lead and then protect that lead late in regulation with big rebounds and defensive stops. Texas has simply not been consistent enough to earn a bettor's trust in a 40-minute war against the highly-ranked Cougars.
Why Texas Could Cover the Spread
The Longhorns don't always play well, but they bring a good effort in big home games. Their won over Baylor earlier this month was an example of that. Texas shot the ball extremely well and displayed considerable offensive efficiency. The game wasn't representative of most Texas games, but the larger point was that the Longhorns got up for what they viewed was a very big game. They will get up for this game, too, against an opponent they won't get to face next season when the Horns move to the SEC.
Final Houston-Texas Prediction & Pick
The game should be relatively close, but Houston is the better team. This feels uncertain. You should stay away from the game unless or until you see a good live-betting angle.
Final Houston-Texas Prediction & Pick: Texas +4.5
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