The Cincinnati Bearcats take on the Houston Cougars in Houston, Texas. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Houston is favored by 14.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -1600. The total is set at 125.5 points.
Here are my Cincinnati vs. Houston predictions and college basketball picks for March 1, 2025.
Cincinnati vs Houston Prediction
My Pick: Cincinnati +14.5
My Cincinnati vs Houston best bet is on the Bearcats spread, with the best odds currently available at bet365. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Cincinnati vs Houston Odds
| Cincinnati Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+14.5 -115 | 125.5 -115o / -105u | +900 |
| Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-14.5 -105 | 125.5 -115o / -105u | -1600 |
- Cincinnati vs Houston spread: Cincinnati +14.5 (-115), Houston -14.5 (-105)
- Cincinnati vs Houston over/under: 125.5 (-115o / -105u)
- Cincinnati vs Houston moneyline: Cincinnati +900, Houston -1600
- Cincinnati vs Houston best bet: Cincinnati +14.5
Spread
I'm backing the Bearcats against the spread.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the over/under.
My Pick: Cincinnati +14.5
Cincinnati vs Houston College Basketball Betting Preview
I think there’s some value with Cincinnati against Houston.
Houston has been so lucky lately, especially over the past week after playing injury-riddled Texas Tech and Iowa State.
I think the Cougars are slightly overvalued in the metrics department.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati has been playing borderline-elite on offense over the past month, ranking in the top 30 nationally in offensive efficiency during the stretch.
While Houston is an excellent shooting team, the Cougars could be due for some negative shooting regression after hitting 43% from deep in February. Their 2-point offense is still shaky, which tends to be more representative of offensive performance.
Cincinnati isn't a great rebounding team, which could be a huge problem against the glass-pounding Cougars.
But this game should be played at a plodding pace, meaning points are at a premium, so there’s some extra value on the underdog.
It also helps that Cincinnati takes care of the basketball, as it possesses multiple ball-handlers. That's so important against Houston’s ball-screen blitz and on-ball pressure defense.
I think Cincinnati puts up a fight here, so give me the Bearcats.
