#4 Houston vs. #21 BYU Odds: NCAAB Pick Prediction

The Big 12 is clearly the best college basketball conference by depth this season and that’s on display Tuesday night when No. 4 Houston visits No. 21 BYU in the first matchup as Big 12 foes for two of the four new additions this season. UH is favored on the NCAAB odds. 2024 NCAA Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis #4 Houston vs #21 BYU | MyBookie Sportsbook Week 12 NCAAB

How to Bet Houston at BYU NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Tuesday, 9 PM ET
Where: Marriot Center, Provo
TV: None nationally
Stream: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Houston -2.5 (total 136.5)

Last Meeting

The teams played last on Nov. 15, 2019, with BYU prevailing 72-71 on the road. BYU’s TJ Haws received an inbounds pass in the back court with 5.1 seconds left and as he neared the top of the key angled right and then shot a contested, fadeaway jumper over Quentin Grimes. The ball hit the front of the rim and time expired before the ball dropped through the basket.

Why Bet on Houston Cougars?

Houston (16-2, 3-2 Big 12) comes off a 57-42 home win over a good UCF team on Saturday. It was destined to be a low-scoring one from the start, as both teams boasted Top-40 scoring defenses entering the game. That came into play from the jump, as neither team scored for the first three minutes of action.

When the final buzzer sounded, UCF had held Houston to its second lowest point total of the season, no easy feat against a top-five nationally ranked team. The only lower scoring game for the Cougars was the 53 they scored in a four-point loss at Iowa State. The Knights also held Houston to its second lowest field-goal percentage of the season at 34.5%, just 0.1% from tying the Cougars lowest of 34.4% at Xavier.

Meanwhile, the Knights made seven field goals in the game, the lowest by any Houston opponent this season. UCF experienced its lowest first and second half point totals, as well as first and second half field goal percentages, finishing the night shooting 15.9%. It was the worst shooting percentage allowed by Houston since East Carolina shot 16% (8 of 50) on Jan. 22, 2022.

“They’re phenomenal defensively,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. “I’ve played against them a number of years, and I’ve seen some terrific defensive teams by Houston, but I don’t think I’ve seen one defend as well as I’ve seen this team defend for 40 minutes. They did a terrific job of taking us out of the things we wanted to do.”

Houston owns the nation’s longest active streak with 76 consecutive weeks in the Associated Press Top 25. The Cougars are tied for fourth in the nation with four Quad 1 victories in the NCAA NET rankings.

Week 12 NCAAB Game Picks Odds Subject to Change	SPREAD	MONEYLINE	TOTAL
BYU	+2.5	TBA	U 136.5
Houston	-2.5	TBA	O 136.5

Why Bet on BYU Cougars?

“I thought the energy in the building really willed us,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “One moment that will stand out to me, is walking off the court at halftime and there might have been reason to boo with the way we played in the first half. But people were cheering for us. All I could think was this is a phenomenal place to play basketball. When you’re not playing your best, but people are cheering for you. Our guys didn’t panic. I thought Pop wasn’t going to let us lose.”

Waterman, who is having a breakout season in Provo, was a late scratch for Saturday with what Pope called “a health issue.” It has been reported that Waterman suffered concussion-like symptoms after BYU’s 87-72 win over No. 24 Iowa State in the previous game. Without Waterman on the court at all, and with Fousseyni Traore (hamstring) and Knell (foot) playing, but at less than 100%, the Cougars ran out of gas Saturday.

UC Irvine transfer Dawson Baker will have foot surgery soon and is lost for the season; Kansas/Gonzaga transfer Marcus Adams Jr. is traveling with the team but still “has little aches and pains that he is trying to work through,” Pope said last week, and has played in only one game.

The Cougars have connected on 10 or more triples in all but four games this season, three of those resulting in losses. They rank second in 3-point attempts per game (33.5) while ranking fifth in 3-point percentage defense holding opponents to 27.2 percent from deep. Knell ranks fifth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage as the redshirt junior is shooting 47.0 percent from beyond the arc. He also ranks 32nd in 3-pointers per game (2.9) and 53 in 3-point field goals made (47).