The Houston Cougars take on the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Feb 10. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Houston is favored by 16.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -2400. Utah, meanwhile, enters as a +16.5 underdog and is +1200 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 143.5 total points.
Here’s my Houston vs. Utah prediction and college basketball picks for Tuesday, February 10.
Houston vs Utah Prediction
My Pick: Houston -16.5
My Utah vs. Houston 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 Utah Odds
| Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-16.5 -110 | 143.5 -110o / -110u | -2400 |
| Utah Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+16.5 -110 | 143.5 -110o / -110u | +1200 |
- Houston vs Utah Spread: Houston -16.5
- Houston vs Utah Over/Under: 143.5 points
- Houston vs Utah Moneyline: Houston -2400, Utah +1200
Houston vs Utah College Basketball Betting Preview
Houston Basketball
Houston sits at 21-2 overall and 9-1 in the Big 12 after winning four straight since its loss to Texas Tech.
After giving up 90 points to the Red Raiders, Houston hasn't allowed more than 70 points during its four-game winning streak, with opponents averaging 61.3 points per game.
Houston is the best defense in the country at denying the ball-handler scoring chances in the pick-and-roll. Opposing ball-handlers are shooting 39-of-122 (32%) from pick-and-roll actions, which equates to 0.540 points per possession (100th percentile).
The Cougars' ability to aggressively switch or blitz ball screens with their athletic big men makes teams uncomfortable, forcing them to settle for tough shots or turn the ball over.
As good as Kingston Flemings is offensively, he's the tone setter defensively with his energy.
When guarding opposing ball-handlers off the pick-and-roll, Flemings holds opponents to 28.6% from the field. An even crazier stat is that opposing guards have more than double the amount of turnovers (22) than field goals made (10) in those situations.
Offensively, talented 6-foot-11 freshman Chris Cenac Jr. has found something. Over the last three games, he's averaging 14.3 points per game and has hit multiple 3s in two of those three contests.
His ability to flash to the ball and knock down 3-point and midrange jumpers, to go along with his defensive ability, makes him an unfair matchup.
Utah Basketball
It wasn't pretty, but Utah got the job done for us against Kansas, losing 71-59 and covering the 20.5-point spread. The Utes now sit at 9-14 overall and 1-9 in the Big 12.
Keanu Dawes was terrific in the loss to Kansas, scoring 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting with 12 rebounds. He has now had three straight games with double-digit rebounds while scoring 20 points or more in two of the last four games.
Kansas made it difficult for Utah's two leading scorers, Terrence Brown and Don McHenry, to get clean looks. Both scored in double figures but struggled to handle the Jayhawks physicality.
Senior James Okonkwo showed off his athleticism defensively against Kansas, recording four blocked shots. Okonkwo has now recorded four blocked shots in two of the last three games while also recording a block in five straight.
Utah will need him to stay out of foul trouble, as it has no depth off the bench beyond Kendyl Sanders.
Houston vs Utah Pick, Betting Analysis
With what Utah likes to run offensively, this is the worst matchup it could ask for. Out of the Utes' 55 shots against Kansas, 26 of them came off an initial pick-and-roll action.
As mentioned, Houston thrives on guarding middle-ball-screen actions and is much more physical than Kansas, against whom Utah turned it over 12 times.
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is still annoyed about giving up 90 points to Texas Tech, and he won't let his team forget it. The Cougars' on-ball pressure will be constant, and they'll wear out a bad team with no depth.
My Pick: Houston -16.5
