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Houston vs Oklahoma State Prediction 2/4/25 College Basketball Picks Today

Oklahoma State (11-10) vs. Houston (17-4)
February 4, 2025 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston -22; Over/Under: 132
(Get latest betting odds)

The Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Houston Cougars meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Hofheinz Pavilion. Here’s a Houston vs Oklahoma State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Houston vs Oklahoma State pick.

Oklahoma State Cowboys Betting Preview

The Cowboys have been a mixed bag this year, with lots of losses piling up lately. Oklahoma State has thus far been able to keep their heads above the .500 mark, though. During an 8-3 opening run, the Cowboys beat Green Bay, St. Thomas MN, Southern Illinois, Miami, Tulsa, Seton Hall, Tarleton State, and Oral Roberts. A 2-4 stretch came next, featuring wins over Kansas State and Colorado alongside losses to Houston, West Virginia, Utah, and BYU. Since then it’s been three straight losses to Arizona, Texas Tech, and Kansas State ahead of a win over Utah, giving the Cowboys an 11-10 overall run through the first 21 games so far.



In the Utah game on Saturday, the Cowboys came out of the first half with a 41-33 advantage. Oklahoma State kept the pace from there on a 40-39 run and took the victory 81-72 in the end. Bryce Thompson led the way with 20 points, seven boards, and two assists. The only other player on the team to finish in double-figures was Marchelus Avery with 17 points and two rebounds off the bench. Arturo Dean and Patrick Suemnick (bench) each had nine points.

Houston Cougars Betting Preview

Over on the Houston side, they came into the year on a pretty spotty run. The Cougars have cleaned up their act since the beginning of December, though. Houston hit a 4-3 opening run with wins over Jackson State, Louisiana, Hofstra, and Notre Dame among losses to Auburn, Alabama, and San Diego State. A win streak over Butler, Troy, Toledo, Texas A&M-CC, Oklahoma State, BYU, TCU, Kansas State, West Virginia, UCF, Utah, Kansas, and West Virginia again came next, then a loss to Texas Tech. The result so far has been a 17-4 overall record through the first 21 games of the season for the Cougars.

Matched up against Texas Tech over the weekend, Houston came back from a four-point halftime deficit with a 35-31 second half. The Cougars couldn’t complete the comeback though, eventually losing in overtime 82-81. Leading the team in scoring was LJ Cryer with 22 points, four rebounds, and two assists. J’Wan Roberts added 18 points with seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Milos Uzan put up 10 points with two assists, and Terrance Arceneaux had nine points with two steals and two rebounds off the bench in 31 minutes.

Why the Houston Cougars will win

  • Houston has won each of its last 54 night games at Fertitta Center.
  • Oklahoma State has lost each of its last 19 night games against AP-ranked opponents.
  • Houston has won the first half in each of its last 40 night games at Fertitta Center.

Why the Oklahoma State Cowboys will win

  • The road team has won four of Houston’s last five games.

Total Points Facts

  • Each of Houston’s last eight night games against non-AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 127 or fewer points.
  • Each of Oklahoma State’s last 12 Tuesday games against the Big 12 Conference has produced a total of 133+ points.

Houston vs Oklahoma State Prediction

I’ll stay with Houston. The line’s too thick to mess with, though. The Cougars are coming off a tough home loss to a good Texas Tech squad despite shooting 45.3 percent from the field with a 38-37 rebounding edge. Houston wasn’t spectacular from the line though (18-of-27 for 66.7 percent) and had 12 turnovers for 12 Raiders points in the loss. It was the Cougars’ first defeat since way back on November 30.

These teams have met before this year, back on December 30 in a 60-47 road win for Houston. The Cougars did well on defense in that one, holding Oklahoma State to just 18 points in the first half and 25.9 percent shooting overall. That said, it was a pretty sloppy game with Houston committing 12 of the 26 total turnovers alongside a 39-34 rebounding deficit (11-5 offensive). I’d like to see the Cougars get that shooting percentage elevated and cut down on the mistakes in the home rematch. If all goes well, I think Houston will bounce back from their tough weekend loss and start another win streak here. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Oklahoma State hang around though, at least initially. The Cowboys can surprise when they’re hitting their groove.

Andrew's Free Pick: Houston Cougars -22

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Andrew

Andrew has been writing about college, professional and fantasy sports betting since 2013. Andrew's goal is to break down the complicated numbers and trends into a language that's easily accessible to novice sports bettors and seasoned professionals alike.

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