BYU (10-2) vs. Houston (9-2)
January 4, 2025 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston -9.5; Over/Under: +132
(Get latest betting odds)
The BYU Cougars and the Houston Cougars meet on Saturday in college basketball action from the Fertitta Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Houston vs BYU Prediction.
BYU Recap
The BYU Cougars come into this game looking to add on to their 76-56 win over Arizona State last time out to improve to 10-2 on the year. After this game, BYU will head home for a matchup with Texas Tech.
BYU Looking For Fifth Straight W
Richie Saunders leads BYU in scoring with 13.9 PPG along with 4.1 RPG while Egor Demin has 12.2 PPG with 4.6 RPG and a team-high 5.9 APG to lead the Cougars in assists. Fousseyni Traore has 10.6 PPG with 6.7 RPG while Kanon Catchings has 11.2 PPG with 3.6 RPG. Trevin Knell’s added 10.3 PPG while Dawson Baker has added 9.4 PPG as well this season. Keba Keita has 7.3 PPG with a team-high 9.1 RPG to lead the Cougars on the glass up to this point in the year. As a team, BYU is averaging 84.8 PPG on 48.6% shooting from the field, 36.4% from three, and 69.5% from the foul line this season.
Why the BYU Cougars will win
- BYU has won each of its last four games.
Houston Recap
The Houston Cougars come into this game looking to add on to their 60-47 win over Oklahoma State last time out to improve to 9-3 on the year. After this game, Houston will welcome TCU to town.
Houston Wins 5th In A Row
L.J. Cryer leads the Cougars in scoring with 15.1 PPG while Emanuel Sharp has 13.7 PPG with 2.9 RPG as the only other double-digit scorer for Houston up to this point in the year. Terrance Arceneaux has 9.3 PPG with 3.4 RPG and Milos Uzan has added 9.1 PPG with 3.3 RPG and a team-high 5 APG to lead Alabama in assists. J’Wan Roberts has 8.8 PPG with a team-high 7.1 RPG to lead the Cougars on the glass up to this point in the year while Joseph Tugler added 6.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG. As a team, Houston’s averaging 76.5 PPG on 45.3% shooting from the field, 40.6% from three, and 75.6% from the foul line this season.
Why the Houston Cougars will win
- Houston has won each of its last 29 games at Fertitta Center.
- BYU has lost each of its last three games against AP-ranked opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Twelve of BYU’s last 13 games against AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 136+ points.
- Five of Houston’s last six games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 126 or fewer points.
Houston vs BYU Prediction
I’m with Houston here. If you have followed Houston basketball over the last couple of years, you know that what the Cougars love to do is blow teams out at home. At first, I thought it was just non-conference opponents, but now, it’s actually shifted to almost everyone that sets foot in the Fertitta Center that struggles and falls apart. Houston just stifles anyone who sets foot in their building. BYU has a loaded roster with an NBA lottery pick in Egor Demin, but this is a BYU team that could open a bakery with the number of cupcakes they played in the non-conference portion of their schedule. I think the Cougars get the job done once again at home, so give me Houston here.
