Houston vs BYU Cougars Prediction & Picks - NCAA Men
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by Travis Pulver | in NCAA Men Picks
The Big 12 Tournament Semifinals get underway tonight at 7 p.m. ET when the No. 17 BYU Cougars (24-8, 14-6 ) take on the No. 2 Houston Cougars (28-4, 19-1). Fans can find coverage of this battle between ranked teams via ESPN2 and ESPN+.
BYU came into the Big 12 Tournament on a roll, having won their last eight regular season games, including wins over three ranked teams (vs. No. 23 Kansas, No.19 Arizona, and No. 10 Iowa State in 2OT). Another win over Iowa State in the quarterfinal (96-92) round extended their win streak to nine. The Cyclones did not have two players available for the game, Keshon Gilbert (13.4 points per game) and Tamin Lipsey (10.8 points per game). BYU set a Tournament record with 18 three-pointers. However, it may not be as easy to hit so many against a tough Houston defense. Iowa’s perimeter defense is middle of the pack in the Big 12, while Houston ranks fourth.
Of course, it would help if the Cougars could light it up from deep against Houston. The Cougars have the top three-point percentage in the Big 11 (BYU’s is third). However, while Houston may be the most accurate, BYU ranks No. 1 in the conference in three-point attempts per game and made threes (10.8).
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Houston vs BYU Cougars Form
Houston - BYU Cougars Key Points
- This will be the 11th all-time game between BYU and Houston; Houston leads the series 7-3.
- BYU and Houston are 4-3 against ranked opponents this season (AP Poll).
- BYU is 14-7 ATS in conference games, while Houston was 11-10.
- The OVER was 13-8 for BYU in conference games and 9-11-1 for Houston.
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Our Houston vs BYU Cougars Prediction
BYU relies heavily on three-pointers, and Houston happens to have one of the better perimeter defenses in the country. When Houston hosted BYU on Jan. 4, they held them to 8-24 from three-point range (33.3%) and 37.5% from the field (18-48). Houston won that game by 31 points, 86-55. I’d expect a better effort out of BYU in this game. But Houston is the better team, in depth and talent. They’ll win this game by double digits.
Our BYU vs. Houston Pick: Houston -6.5
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