It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Houston-Baylor prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Houston-Baylor.
There are two rich veins of intrigue in this Big 12 regular-season finale late Saturday night in Waco. Houston is gunning for a No. 1 seed at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Cougars are battling Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama in a four-team race for two No. 1 seeds. Auburn (South) and Duke (East) are firmly established as No. 1 seeds. That leaves two more top seeds, one in the Midwest Region and one in the West Region. Houston is in play for a top seed. Given that the Cougars are fighting three SEC teams in this four-team competition, those three SEC teams are likely to beat each other up. This would seemingly give Houston a reliable path to a top seed if it wins the remainder of its games heading into Selection Sunday. If Houston beats Baylor here and then wins the Big 12 Tournament, it will be hard for the Cougars to not get a No. 1 seed when the brackets are revealed on March 16.
The intrigue from the Baylor side is very simple: The Bears are right on the middle of the bubble, near the NCAA Tournament cut line. If they can beat Houston — a major win, as good a win as the Bears could possibly hope for — they will very likely be in the NCAA Tournament. If they lose, they would definitely need at least one win at the Big 12 Tournament next week, and they might need two. It’s a huge game for the Bears, even more than Houston.
Here are the Houston-Baylor College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Houston-Baylor Odds
Houston: -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -200
Baylor: +4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +164
Over: 131.5 (-115)
Under: 131.5 (-105)
How to Watch Houston vs Baylor
Time: 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Houston Will Cover The Spread/Win
Houston is just so relentless and determined that it’s hard to see Baylor — an average team near the bubble — rising up and finding enough quality to beat a tough Kelvin Sampson-coached team. Houston is always defending well, rebounding well, and competing well. The offense is a legitimate point of concern, but since Houston usually outworks its opponents, the offense doesn’t cost the Cougars. It is rare to find college teams that play at a very consistent level. You will often see teams get sky-high for the games they really care about, but then drift through other games against less-sexy opponents with very little enthusiasm or focus. What really separates Kelvin Sampson from many of his coaching peers is that he gets his players to produce consistently high effort every night. That’s why Houston — in a game it doesn’t need quite as much as Baylor does — should still be expected to win and cover. That is the UH standard right now.
Why Baylor Will Cover The Spread/Win
Baylor needs this game more than Houston does and is playing at home on Senior Night in the regular-season finale. The building will be rocking and Baylor is going to treat this game as its Super Bowl. Baylor can lose by four and still cover. That’s a very attractive prospect for bettors, who know that Baylor will play with maximum intensity. This is not a game in which one should doubt how forcefully the Bears will compete. They have been inconsistent, but one should not worry about their inconsistency in this situation, which sets up well for them.
Final Houston-Baylor Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Baylor, but we know and respect how good Houston is. Pass.
Final Houston-Baylor Prediction & Pick: Baylor +4.5
The post Houston vs Baylor prediction, pick, college basketball odds appeared first on ClutchPoints.
