The BYU Cougars take on the Houston Cougars in the Big 12 Tournament. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Houston is favored by 7.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -345. The total is set at 134.5 points.
Here’s my BYU vs. Houston predictions and college basketball picks for March 14, 2025.
BYU vs Houston Prediction
My Pick: BYU +7.5 (Play to +6)
My BYU vs Houston best bet is on the Cougars spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
BYU vs Houston Odds
| BYU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 134.5 -110o / -110u | +275 |
| Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 134.5 -110o / -110u | -345 |
- BYU vs Houston spread: Houston -7.5
- BYU vs Houston over/under: 134.5 points
- BYU vs Houston moneyline: Houston -345, BYU +275
- BYU vs Houston best bet: BYU +7.5 (Play to +6)
Spread
I like BYU down to +6.
Moneyline
I have no play on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I have no play on the total.
My Pick: BYU +7.5 (Play to +6)
BYU vs Houston College Basketball Betting Preview
The Cougars of Houston have quickly made the Big 12 run through them — they've been in the conference for two seasons and won it both years.
While Houston is easily one of the best teams in the country, it doesn't really blow out teams. That happens for a couple of reasons — for one, Houston plays at the fourth-slowest tempo in America. On the other hand, the Coogs rank third in KenPom's defensive efficiency.
Houston won seven of its past eight games by single digits, but it felt in control of almost every game.
It's nearly impossible to score on the Cougars' duel big interior duo. Kelvin Sampson plays two true bigs at all times, and it aids in holding teams to 43.6% from 2-point range.
Houston also forces turnovers at a 21% clip.
The only way to beat Houston is to have an outlier shooting game or hope the Coogs can't score.
That latter part can happen at times, as Houston shoots just 49% from 2-point range. The good thing is the Cougars shoot 39% from downtown and secure offensive rebounds on 36% of their misses.
Sampson needs scoring from the guard trio of LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan. Cryer can be a bit streaky, but he's shooting 43% from 3. Sharp is a long-range marksman, and Uzan has taken on the Jamal Shead role as a reliable ball-mover and strong scorer.
Uzan's emergence in the past two months is what separates Houston from the team that lost to San Diego State in November and the one that lost just one Big 12 game.
I think BYU can keep this game close — at least within the 7.5-point spread.
I've backed the Provo Cougars a lot lately, and it's largely worked out. BYU is a top-10 team in Bart Torvik since February 1, but it barely sits top-25 in KenPom. I truly think BYU is a top-15 caliber team and the market still underrates it.
Kevin Young's squad is elite on the glass, hauling in offensive rebounds at a 33% clip while allowing offensive boards just 25% of the time. That bodes well against this Houston team, which aims to bury teams on the glass.
BYU is shooting over 60% from inside the arc and 38% from downtown in its past 12 games. The Cougars can get molten lava hot, as they did against Iowa State, recording 1.39 points per possession.
If BYU can get hot from deep, it can simply make Houston uncomfortable and play at a faster tempo. That's sort of what I see happening in this game. BYU can score on anybody, and even the best defenses can get beat by great offense.
Keep an eye on Richie Saunders. He was a First Team All-Big-12 guy for a reason. He had 23 versus Iowa State and is the best shooter in this matchup.
I expect BYU to keep it close here, so take the points.
