Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Houston Cougars Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/17/2024

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Venue:  Fertitta Center, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  ESPNU

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Texas Tech +11, Houston -11; Over/Under:  128 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Texas Tech +11, Houston -11; Over/Under:  128 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Texas Tech +11, Houston -11; Over/Under:  128 points

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  14-2 (3-0) (2nd place, Big 12)

Houston Cougars:  14-2 (1-2) (7th place, Big 12)

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Texas Tech Red Raiders:  5-0  last 5

Houston Cougars:  3-2  last 5

Texas Tech is entering this game with a 14-2 record overall, a 3-0 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 win against the Kansas State Wildcats in their last game. Joe Toussaint led the team in points per game in that game with 12 while Warren Washington was next on the team with 11. Joe Toussaint and Darrion Williams each led the team in assists with 2 in that game while Warren Washington led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 36.4% from the field, 20% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 77.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 64.8 PPG against them. Texas Tech has an ATS record of 8-8 this season and their O/U record is 9-7.

Houston is entering this game with a 14-2 record overall, a 1-2 conference record, and they are 9-0 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. J'wan Roberts led the team in points in that game with 20 while Damian Dunn was next on the team with 17. J'wan Roberts and Jamal Shead each led the team in assists with 5 in that game while J'wan Roberts led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 42.2% from the field, 22.2% from 3-point range, and 69.2% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 51.4 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 8-7-1 this season and their O/U record is 4-12.

The current betting odds have Houston listed as an 11 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Houston has looked great in their games this season with their 14-2 record overall which also has them ranked as one of the best teams in the country. They are only 1-2 in their conference games this year as they just lost 2 conference games in a row, but they are back on their home court here and have looked great this season with their 9-0 home record. Meanwhile, Texas Tech has also looked great in their games this season with their 14-2 record overall which has them just breaking into the top 25 now. They have looked great in their conference games with their 3-0 conference record but they haven't looked as good in their road games with their 1-1 road record. Texas Tech has also had a weaker conference schedule to start while Houston has had to face some stronger teams in their 3 games. Houston has lost 2 games in a row now after starting the season 14-0 but they were really close to winning in both of those games and now that they are back on their home court, they will be looking to bounce back in a big way. Houston will be looking to bounce back but they will also be looking for a blowout win from start to finish after playing so close in those 2 losses, and they have the talent to bring this newly ranked Texas Tech team back down to Earth. The best way to place a bet here is on Houston to cover the spread in this game. 

Texas Tech Houston Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, January 17, 2024 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Houston 92 Texas Tech 67.

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Texas Tech Red Raiders: 44-70 ATS as an underdog of 10 or more points. 11-25 ATS off a close win by 3 points or less over a conference rival. 22-16 UNDER as a road underdog of 12.5 or more points. 4-1 UNDER in a road game where the total is 120 to 129.5. 

Houston Cougars: 25-15 ATS as a home favorite of 10 or more points. 26-17 ATS in all home games. 8-3 ATS after failing to cover the spread in 2 or more consecutive games. 12-4 UNDER in all games. 9-2 UNDER as a favorite of 10 or more points. 22-10 UNDER in a home game where the total is 120 to 129.5.

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  D. Cambridge (F) out for season - Knee.

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

"We turned them over 18 times which told me our activity was there. They have really good individual offensive players, but the story to me was on the glass and our ability to get to the free-throw line. We needed to create offense in different ways and we did it with offensive rebounds and free throws. Joe didn't shoot it very good and forced some things, but at the end, he showed a lot of patience. This team just learns. We learn as we play. Their heart is to get better. We weren't discouraged. We let missed shots affect us early in the year, but we are not doing that right now. We're just like, 'we are going to win the game.' Let's just find a way." - Grant McCasland after his team’s win against KSU in their last game on Saturday.

“No way was I going to call a timeout. Zero chance. If you call timeout there, now (TCU coach Jamie Dixon) gets to substitute who he wants, he gets to get his defense set. … We just made a boneheaded play. I don’t know what else to call it.” - Kelvin Sampson after his team’s loss against TCU in their last game on Saturday.

D. Cambridge 

P. Isaacs 

J. Toussaint 

W. Washington 

D. Williams

L. Cryer 

J. Francis 

J. Roberts 

E. Sharp 

J. Shead

PPG: P. Isaacs (16.3)

APG: J. Toussaint (3.9)

Reb/G: W. Washington (7.7)

PPG: L. Cryer (15.6)

APG: J. Shead (5.9)

Reb/G: J. Roberts (7.3)

Coaches:

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Grant McCasland (1st season)

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (10th season)