The 15-1 No. 7 Houston Cougars host the 11-5 West Virginia Mountaineers at 8:30 p.m. ET in a Big 12 contest. Houston is 3-0 in Big 12 compettion whiole WVU is 2-1 in the conference. These two teams have only played each other three times, with Houston winning all three.
Houston is a -13.5-point favorite, with the game’s over/under set at 127.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here is my best bet for tonight’s West Virginia vs. Houston game.
West Virginia vs. Houston (8:30 p.m. ET)
Houston has had an incredible start to the season, winning 15 of their first 16 games. They are coming off a 77-55 victory over Baylor in their last game on January 10. Houston has excelled at winning low-scoring games this season, scoring 77 or fewer points in its previous four wins. Their only loss of the season was by three points against Tennessee on November 25.
The Cougars have one of the best backcourts in the country, with veterans Emmanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan and elite freshman Kingston Flemings. Sharp is their leading scorer with 16.1 points, with Fleming right behind him at 15.7. Their frontcourt consists of veteran Joseph Tugler and freshman Chris Cenac Jr.
West Virginia has had an up-and-down season and is 6-5 in their previous 11 games. But the Montaineers are coming off an 11-point win over Kansas. Honor Huff averages 17.5 points per game to lead West Virginia. But overall, WVU averages 74.8 points per game, the second-fewest in the Big 12. Houston scores 2.5 more points per contest while allowing two fewer points per contest than West Virginia.
Since Houston has won only one of its previous four games by 14 or more points, let’s look at a different area to back them. Houston has scored more than 70.5 points in five of their last eight games and 11 times this season. Even though West Virginia doesn’t give up many points, Houston has the players to break them down.
