Houston Cougars vs Arizona State Sun Devils Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/18/2025

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Venue:  Desert Financial Arena, Tempe, AZ

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Houston -11.5, ASU +11.5; Over/Under:  134.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Houston -11.5, ASU +11.5; Over/Under:  134.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Houston -11.5, ASU +11.5; Over/Under:  134.5 points

Houston Cougars:  21-4 (13-1) (1st place, Big 12)

Arizona State Sun Devils:  12-13 (3-11) (15th place, Big 12)

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Houston Cougars:  4-1  last 5

Arizona State Sun Devils:  0-5  last 5

Houston is entering this game with a 21-4 record overall, a 13-1 record in conference games, and they are 7-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Arizona Wildcats in their last game. Milos Uzan led the team in points per game in that game with 19 while LJ Cryer was next on the team with 15. Milos Uzan led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Ja'Vier Francis led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 43.1% from the field, 29.4% from 3-point range, and 77.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 57.3 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 14-11 this season and their O/U record is 11-13-1.

Arizona State is entering this game with a 12-13 record overall, a 3-11 conference record, and they are 5-6 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the TCU Horned Frogs in their last game. BJ Freeman led the team in points in that game with 21 while Shawn Phillips and Alston Mason each were next on the team with 12. Alston Mason led the team in assists with 9 in that game while Shawn Phillips led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 43.9% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 78.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 74.2 PPG against them. Arizona State has an ATS record of 14-11 this season and their O/U record is 12-13.

The current betting odds have Houston listed as an 11.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Houston has looked great in their games this season with their 21-4 record overall and their 13-1 conference record which has them right at the top of the Big 12. They have been a great road team this year with their 7-0 road record too. Meanwhile, Arizona State hasn't looked good in their games this season with their 12-13 record overall and their 3-11 conference record which has them near the bottom of the Big 12. They haven't even been that great on their home court either with their 5-6 home record this season. They are coming off a home loss to TCU in their last one and they have no momentum on their side right now with 5 losses in a row. Houston has a lot more momentum on their side as they only have 1 loss this season in the Big 12 and they have won 4 games in a row since taking that loss. They are also coming off a huge road win over Arizona in their last one which gave them some breathing room at the top of the Big 12 so they are going to carry over that momentum into this one against a bottom feeder in the conference. The best way to place a bet here is on Houston to cover the spread in this game. 

Houston Arizona State Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, February 18, 2025 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Houston 84 Arizona State 64.

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Houston Cougars: 8-3 ATS as a road favorite of 6.5 to 12 points. 8-4 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record. 36-25 ATS versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing 14 turnovers/game or less. 39-25 UNDER as a favorite of 10 or more points. 36-25 UNDER after 3 or more consecutive wins.

Arizona State Sun Devils: 17-23 ATS in all home games. 19-26 ATS vs. good free throw shooting teams - making 72% of their attempts or more. 5-10 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 80%). 20-13 UNDER versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game.

Houston Cougars:  R. Walker (G) Out - Hand. J. McFarland (C) Out - Leg.

Arizona State Sun Devils:  J. Quaintance (F) Questionable - Ankle. A. Nunez (G) Out - Foot.

“We’re really good at staying in the moment when everybody else is, somewhere else. It’s not just about basketball lessons, it’s life lessons, focus. If you focus on what’s in front of you and not what’s ahead of you, you usually make better decisions.” - Kelvin Sampson after his team’s win against Arizona in their last game. 

"What do you want me to say at this point is some of the comments I got from my players. They're frustrated that we haven't been able to close games out. We're all at premium frustration at this point in the season." - Bobby Hurley after his team’s loss against TCU in their last game. 

L. Cryer 

J. Roberts 

E. Sharp 

J. Tugler 

M. Uzan

B. Freeman 

B. Jihad 

A. Mason 

A. Miller 

J. Quaintance

PPG: L. Cryer (14.3)

APG: M. Uzan (4.9)

Reb/G: J. Roberts (6.5)

PPG: B. Freeman (13.5)

APG: A. Mason (3.9)

Reb/G: J. Quaintance (8.2)

Coaches:

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (11th season)

Arizona State Sun Devils: Bobby Hurley (10th season)