The Houston Cougars take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Saturday, March 7. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on CBS.
Houston is favored by -12.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -850. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, enters as a +12.5 underdog and is +570 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 149.5 total points.
Here are my Houston vs. Oklahoma State predictions and college basketball picks for Friday, March 7.
Houston vs Oklahoma State Prediction
My Pick: Houston -12.5 (Play to -13.5)
My Houston vs Oklahoma State best bet is on the Cougars to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Houston vs Oklahoma State Odds
| Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-12.5 -110 | 149.5 -110o / -110u | -850 |
| Oklahoma State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+12.5 -110 | 149.5 -110o / -110u | +570 |
- Houston vs Oklahoma State Spread: Houston -12.5
- Houston vs Oklahoma State Over/Under: 149.5 points
- Houston vs Oklahoma State Moneyline: Houston -850, Oklahoma State +570
Houston vs Oklahoma State College Basketball Betting Preview
Houston Basketball
The Cougars come into the season finale with a 25-5 overall record and 13-4 mark in the Big 12.
They're winners of two straight after dropping three in a row to Iowa State, Arizona and Kansas.
Defense has been the identity all season for this team, even during their recent three-game skid, where they allowed only 70.6 points per game.
On the season, they rank in the 99th percentile in man defense, allowing 0.797 points per possession.
Houston is the second-best pick-and-roll defense in the country, giving up just 0.531 PPP while forcing a turnover on 32.4% of those possessions.
The Cougars' athleticism allows them to blitz the middle ball screen with a help defender coming over to take away the roll man, leading to live-ball turnovers. Emanuel Sharp leads the team in forcing turnovers at 20.4%, via Synergy.
Sharp is coming off a strong offensive performance against Baylor, scoring 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, and the Cougars need him to continue to be an effective off-ball scorer to help Kingston Flemings.
During the three-game losing streak, Sharp shot 7-of-32 (22%) from the field.
Oklahoma State Basketball
Oklahoma State had a much-needed road win at UCF to improve its chances of making the Big Dance.
The Cowboys are 18-12 overall and 6-11 in the Big 12. They'll need to pull off an upset against Houston if they want to solidify themselves on the right side of the bubble.
Three of OK State's last six games have gone into overtime, with the Pokes winning two of them.
For Oklahoma State to pull off the upset, it'll need a big game from Anthony Roy.
When Roy plays well, OK State wins, but when he shoots poorly, it loses. On the season, Roy has shot 43% from the field, but that number dips in losses, where he has shot a combined 35%.
It hasn't happened often, but Houston is susceptible to giving up buckets in transition. It sits in the 39th percentile in transition defense, and that's where Roy can get loose. Roy is shooting 53% from the field and 45% from 3 in transition.
Kanye Clary has stepped up in the last three games, averaging 17 points on 45% from 3. Oklahoma State will rely on him to take care of the basketball against Houston's aggressive ball-screen defense.
Houston vs Oklahoma State Pick, Betting Analysis
Flemings plays his best ball for Houston on the road, averaging 20.4 points on 47%/38%/84% shooting splits. Now, he's going up against the second-worst defense in the Big 12.
Houston shouldn't have any problems scoring against Oklahoma State's defense, but the same can't be said on the other side.
Out of all of Clary's buckets this season, 36% have come as the ball-handler out of the pick-and-roll, but he will have his work cut out for him against Houston's athleticism and aggressiveness in blitzing ball screens with JoJo Tugler.
Oklahoma State will miss the physical presence of Parsa Fallah in this matchup, and Houston's defense will smother the Pokes in the half-court.
My Pick: Houston -12.5 (Play to -13.5)
