The top two teams in the Big 12 meet tonight in Lubbock, Texas, when the Houston Cougars face the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Houston began the season with a 4-3 record. The team found its footing in early December. Since losing to San Diego State in late November, the Cougars have gone 19-1. Houston’s only loss during that run was an 82-81 defeat to the team they play tonight, Texas Tech. Houston rolls into tonight’s game on a six-game winning streak. Texas Tech has not lost two games in a row this year. The Red Raiders’ best run this year was a seven-game winning streak. The club is 3-2 in their past five games with losses to Arizona and TCU. Texas Tech is coming off a 73-51 win over West Virginia.
Houston is the No. 5 ranked team in the AP poll, with a 23-4 record overall and a 15-1 mark in the Big 12. Texas Tech is 21-6 on the year and 12-4 in the Big 12, and they are the No. 5 team in the AP poll. These teams have met 59 times. Houston is 31-28 in those matchups.
 | Spread | Monyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | -1.5 (-115) | -141 | Ov. 132.5 (-110) |
| Texas Tech | +1.5 (-105) | +110 | Un. 132.5 (-110) |
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The Houston Cougars have not lost a road game since they fell to San Diego State in November in a neutral-site matchup. They are 8-0 on the road since then. Houston is 15-11 against the spread this year. Overall, the club is 9-2 in away and neutral site games this year. The Cougars are 10-15-1 when it comes to over-under this season. Houston is 22-3 on the year when they are the betting favorite and 1-0 when they are the betting underdog. They have a 6-2 record against the spread on the road. Houston is 6-0 straight up in its past six games. The Cougars and their opponents have combined to hit the over-under three times in eight Houston road games.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are 14-12-1 against the spread this year. The club’s home record ATS is 9-6-1. The Red Raiders are 14-12-1 when looking at over-under in 2024-25. Texas Tech is 19-5 when they enter the game as a favorite and 2-1 when they are the betting dog. The Red Raiders are 10-2 straight up in their past 12 games. They have combined with their opponents to hit the under in eight of their past 12 games, and they are 8-7-1 in over-under at home this season. The Red Raiders are 6-0 straight up in their past six games.
No team in the NCAA allows fewer points per game than the Houston Cougars, who give up an average of 57.7 points per outing. The team also allows the lowest field goals per game at a paltry 19.2. Only one other team in the NCAA, North Texas in the American Conference, gives up under 20 percent. The team is also third in the NCAA in steals per game (4.7). The team scores 17.4 points per game more than they allow on average.
Texas Tech is still in the mix to win the Big 12, but they most likely will need to win out the season and hope that Houston drops some of their remaining matchups if they hope to win the conference. A 69-66 loss to TCU on February 18 really hurt Texas Tech’s hopes of securing the Big 12 conference. A loss tonight will put the title out of reach.
L.J. Cryer is leading Houston in scoring this year with an average of 15 points per game. The senior guard is coming off his best performance of the year, putting up 28 points in the team’s 68-59 win over Iowa State. He is shooting 41.2 percent. Cryer’s second-highest scoring performance of the year came in the loss to Texas Tech where he put up 22 points in 44 minutes, his second-highest playing total of the season.
J.T. Toppin is the top scorer for Texas Tech. The sophomore forward is averaging 17.3 points per game on 25.4 minutes. His points per game average is third highest in the Big 12 while playing 7.2 and 10.7 minutes less than the two players who are outscoring him in the conference. Toppin is second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 57.1. Toppin also leads the team in rebounds with 9.1 and blocks at 1.2. Toppin only played four minutes in the first Texas Tech game of the year. He did not contribute any points. His best game of the season came earlier this month when he scored 41 points in 44 minutes against ASU. He has put up at least 21 points in four of his past five games.
This is going to be a close game, and with that, we’re going to play the odds and hope that Toppin can continue racking up points as he has over his past few games.
The betting pick is that Texas Tech will beat Houston at home.
As for total points, the betting pick is that Houston and Texas Tech will combine to hit the over of 132.5 points when they play tonight in Big 12 action at United Supermarkets Arena.
