Houston vs Idaho Prediction 3/19/26 College Basketball Picks Today

The Idaho Vandals and the Houston Cougars meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Moda Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Houston vs. Idaho Prediction.

Idaho Vandals Recap

The Idaho Vandals come into this game as the 15-seed, finishing the year with a 21-14 overall record as the Big Sky champions.

Vandals Looking For Massive Upset

Jackson Rasmussen has 14.1 PPG with 4.6 RPG while Kolton Mitchell has 13.4 PPG with 3.1 RPG and a team-high 3.9 APG to lead the Vandals in assists up to this point in the year. Isaiah Brickner has 11.8 PPG with 3.8 RPG and Biko Johnson has 12.6 PPG with 3.8 RPG and 2.6 APG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Idaho so far this season. Brody Rowbury has 7.9 PPG with 5.4 RPG to lead the Vandals in rebounding and Jack Payne has also added 6.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG so far this season. As a team, Idaho is averaging 78.6 PPG on 44.8% shooting from the field, 35.9% from three and 73.6% from the foul line this season.

Why the Idaho Vandals will win

• Idaho has won each of its last seven night games.

Houston Cougars Recap

The Houston Cougars come into the NCAA Tournament as the 2-seed, finishing the year with a 28-6 overall record out of the Big 12 this season.

Cougars Looking For First Round Win For 8th Straight Tournament

Kingston Flemings leads the Cougars in scoring and assists with 16.5 PPG and 5.3 APG while also adding 3.9 RPG and Emanuel Sharp has 15.7 PPG with 3 RPG. Milos Uzan has 11.4 PPG with 2.6 RPG and 4.1 APG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Houston so far this season. Chris Cenac Jr. has 9.4 PPG with 7.4 RPG to lead Houston in rebounding and Joseph Tugler has 8.2 PPG with 5.3 RPG this season. As a team, Houston is averaging 77.5 PPG on 45.1% shooting from the field, 34.4% from three and 77.3% from the foul line this season.

Why the Houston Cougars will win

• Houston has won each of its last 45 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Idaho has lost each of its last seven Thursday games against non-Conference opponents.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Idaho’s last 11 night games against non-Conference opponents has produced a total of 140+ points.
• Each of Houston’s last 12 Thursday games against non-Conference opponents has produced a total of 138 or fewer points.

Houston vs Idaho Prediction

I’m on Houston here. I get the case to be made for Idaho in this spot, but the thing here is that the Vandals have not faced a defense that’s anything close to what Houston is bringing to the table here. The Cougars are no joke, and they get after it better than almost any team in the field and this is a team that’s not flashy offensively but could easily win this game by 30+ with just defense. I’ll side with Houston in a rout.