Houston Cougars vs TCU Horned Frogs Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/13/2024

Game Time: 6:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 13, 2024

Venue:  Schollmaier Arena, Fort Worth, TX

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Houston -6.5, TCU +6.5; Over/Under:  138 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Houston -6.5, TCU +6.5; Over/Under:  138 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Houston -6.5, TCU +6.5; Over/Under:  138 points

Houston Cougars:  14-1 (1-1) (4th place, Big 12)

TCU Horned Frogs:  12-3 (1-1) (7th place, Big 12)

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Houston Cougars:  4-1  last 5

TCU Horned Frogs:  3-2  last 5

Houston is entering this game with a 14-1 record overall, a 1-1 record in conference games, and they are 1-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Iowa State Cyclones in their last game. Emanuel Sharp led the team in points per game in that game with 20 while Jamal Shead was next on the team with 14. Jamal Shead and J'wan Roberts each led the team in assists with 3 in that game while J'wan Roberts led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 38% from the field, 26.9% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 50.3 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 8-6-1 this season and their O/U record is 4-11.

TCU is entering this game with a 12-3 record overall, a 1-1 conference record, and they are 8-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Oklahoma Sooners in their last game. Emanuel Miller led the team in points in that game with 27 while Avery Anderson III was next on the team with 15. Avery Anderson III led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Emanuel Miller led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 43.8% from the field, 29.2% from 3-point range, and 77.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 85.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67.9 PPG against them. TCU has an ATS record of 9-6 this season and their O/U record is 8-7.

The current betting odds have TCU listed as a 6.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. TCU has looked really good in their games this season with their 12-3 record overall. They are 1-1 in their conference games but they have looked a lot better in their home games this year with their 8-0 home record. They came close to beating Kansas which was their only conference loss but now they are coming off a good home win against Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Houston has also looked great in their games this season with their 14-1 record overall which has them ranked as one of the best teams in the country. They are also just 1-1 in their conference games though and they just lost their 1st game of the season in their last one. They are also 1-1 in their road games with that conference loss coming on the road against Iowa State in their last game. Houston didn't look good at all in that game as they trailed for a good majority of it and even though they will be looking to bounce back here, they will have a much tougher time bouncing back on the road against another strong conference opponent. TCU has looked great in their home games all season and they have shown that they can toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the Big 12 this season. Even if Houston manages to get the win here, it won't be by much. The best way to place a bet here is on TCU to cover the spread in this game. 

Houston TCU Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, January 13, 2024 (6:00 pm ET start time) is TCU 82 Houston 78.

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Houston Cougars: 23-11 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 19-9 ATS after a combined score of 125 points or less. 7-1 ATS after playing a game where both teams score 65 points or less. 11-4 UNDER in all games. 11-4 UNDER as a favorite. 7-1 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive losses.

TCU Horned Frogs: 15-25 ATS as a home underdog of 3.5 to 6 points. 19-37 ATS in a home game where the total is 135 to 139.5. 6-12 ATS off a win against a conference rival. 7-4 UNDER in a home game where the total is 135 to 139.5. 23-13 UNDER after 2 consecutive conference games. 

Houston Cougars:  T. Arceneaux (G) out for season - Achilles.

TCU Horned Frogs:  J. Coles (F) Ques Sat - Foot.

“I don’t know if it was as much Iowa State. It was us. We were just, I don’t know what. I wish I did.” - Kelvin Sampson after his team’s loss against ISU in their last game on Tuesday.

“I think they really responded. After the tough loss the other day, we really, really made a concerted effort to, immediately after the game, to be focused on Oklahoma, not what had happened. They’re smart they knew it was a trap to fall in to keep talking about the last game.” - Jamie Dixon after his team’s win against Oklahoma in their last game on Wednesday.

L. Cryer 

J. Francis 

J. Roberts 

E. Sharp 

J. Shead

J. Coles 

E. Miller 

J. Nelson 

M. Peavy 

E. Udeh

PPG: L. Cryer (16.3)

APG: J. Shead (6)

Reb/G: J. Roberts (6.9)

PPG: E. Miller (17)

APG: A. Anderson III (3.5)

Reb/G: E. Miller (6.1)

Coaches:

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (10th season)

TCU Horned Frogs: Jamie Dixon (8th season)