Houston Cougars vs Texas Tech Red Raiders Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Texas Tech vs Houston NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Houston.

Texas Tech vs Houston Prediction

Looking to win big? The Red Raiders and Cougars face off at 6:00 ET on ESPN2. The Cougars are hosting the game at Fertitta Center in Houston, TX. The over/under for this Big 12 conference contest is set at 130.5 points, with Houston being favored by -8.5 at home against Texas Tech.

Texas Tech vs. Houston Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Texas Tech Red Raiders at Houston Cougars
Where: Houston at Fertitta Center
Date: Saturday, February 1st
Betting Odds HOU -8.5, TXTECH +368 | HOU -496 O/U 130.5

Red Raiders Preview: Can Texas Tech Pull Out the Win as Road Underdogs?

Texas Tech Red Raiders Recent Game/Games

Texas Tech improved to 16-4 on the season with a 71-57 win over TCU on Wednesday, January 29th. The Red Raiders were -12 favorites heading into the home game and covered the spread with the victory.

Leading 32-29 at halftime, Texas Tech held TCU to 28 points in the 2nd half while scoring 39 points of their own. The combined points for the game were 128, falling short of the over/under line of 136.5.

Red Raiders Offense Breakdown

Texas Tech put up 71 points in their last game, shooting 46.9% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 57.1%, thanks in part to hitting 72.2% of their two-point attempts (13/18). From beyond the arc, they connected on 10 of 31 shots, good for 32.3%.

JT Toppin led the way with 18 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 66.7% overall. Chance McMillian added 16 points, hitting 3 of 9 from deep, while Elijah Hawkins contributed 13 points and 5 assists.

Red Raiders Team Defense

Despite Texas Tech's defense allowing 57 points, they gave up a 46% shooting performance, with the opposing team hitting 23 of 49 shots. Inside the arc, the Red Raiders struggled, allowing 72% shooting on 13 of 18 two-point attempts.

From three-point range, Texas Tech's defense saw 31 attempts, with the opposition making 10, a 32% success rate. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 21 times, where they converted 15, shooting 71%. Texas Tech allowed 8 offensive rebounds.

Cougars Preview: Can the Cougars Please their Home Crowd?

Houston Cougars Recent Game/Games

Houston improved to 18-3 on the season with a 63-49 win over West Virginia on Wednesday. The Cougars, who were -8.5 favorites, covered the spread in the victory. The game’s total points of 112 fell short of the 123.5 O/U line.

Houston dominated the 1st half, leading 39-19, but allowed 30 points in the 2nd half while scoring just 24. Despite the drop-off, they held on for the win.

Cougars Offense Breakdown

In their last game, the Cougars put up 63 points, shooting 48.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 53.8%. They hit 38.9% from beyond the arc, going 7-for-18, and were perfect at the free-throw line, making all 6 of their attempts.

Houston's offensive rebounding was strong, grabbing 13 boards on that end, but they only managed 8 assists as a team. L.J. Cryer led the way with 17 points, shooting 50% overall and from three-point range, while Joseph Tugler added 12 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 55.6% from the field.

Cougars Team Defense

Even with Houston's defense allowing 46% shooting, they still held their opponent to just 49 points. The Cougars gave up 16 two-pointers on 25 attempts, a 64% success rate for the other team.

From beyond the arc, Houston's defense was more effective, limiting their opponent to 4 made threes on 18 attempts, a 22% shooting performance. They also sent the other team to the line 11 times, where they made 5 free throws.

Red Raiders vs Cougars Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Texas Tech has played well in their previous 5 road games, going 4-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 74 points per game while allowing 66. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
Across their last five home contests, Houston has been good against the spread posting a mark of 4-1. Their overall mark in these games was 5-0, while averaging 74 points per game.
Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, Texas Tech has an ATS mark of 4-5-1 while going 4-6 straight up.
In their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Cougars have a straight up record of 10-0 and an ATS mark of 8-1-1.