Houston vs Kansas Odds, Picks and Predictions: Jayhawks Best Cougars in Big 12 Battle

Two of the top teams in college basketball will face off on Saturday afternoon when the No. 4 Houston Cougars pay a visit to the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks in a Big 12 matchup.

The Jayhawks are one of college basketball’s blue bloods, a known quantity, and a perennial title contender. However, Kansas comes into today’s game as a slight underdog at home in the college basketball odds against Houston, which might just be the best team in college basketball this season.

The Cougars had some struggles early in their Big 12 schedule, but have bounced back with five straight conference wins.

We’ll talk about whether they deserve to be favored on the road today in our free college basketball picks and predictions for Houston vs. Kansas on February 3.

Houston vs Kansas best odds

Houston vs Kansas picks and predictions

By now, you should be well aware of just how good the Houston Cougars are.

Under Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars have become a national power, reaching at least the Sweet 16 in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. In those four seasons — plus the 2019-20 season that saw March Madness canceled due to the global pandemic — Houston went a combined 149-26.

The only reason we didn’t hear even more about the Cougars is the fact they were dominating in the American Athletic Conference, a league that had been good, but far from dominant. Now, Houston is at the top of the Big 12 with a 6-2 conference record, and even the most ardent skeptics should be taking notice.

KenPom has the Cougars rated as the No. 1 team in the country, and it’s not even close. This is the best defensive team in the nation by a mile, even after adjusting for their very slow pace of play. Houston is holding opponents to 35.5% shooting and 52.9 points per game, both best in the country.

While arguments can certainly be made for UConn or Purdue as the best team in college basketball as well, it would be foolish to dismiss Houston from that conversation. 

I can only think of two knocks on the Cougars. First, they don’t have a single player who gets any significant playing time and is listed as taller than 6-foot-8. Secondly, they’ve yet to play any of the other elite teams in the nation this year. That would suggest that there could be some matchups out there (think Zach Edey at Purdue, for example) that could damage Houston’s pristine defensive numbers.

The Kansas Jayhawks may also fit that bill. While Kevin McCullar Jr. (19.8 points per game) leads the way for the Jayhawks, they also feature 7-foot-2 center Hunter Dickinson (18.7 ppg) as a primary scorer. Dickinson is also grabbing 11.2 rebounds per game and could easily dominate the boards against the smaller Cougars.

On paper, Houston should be favored over Kansas, even on the road. The overall profiles of these two teams show the Cougars are a better team overall and their defense is nasty. I can’t even be sure they won’t defend Dickinson well, as swarming defenses have shown they can sometimes keep big men in check — at least to some extent — even when the opposing team has no size at all. 

However, Kansas is a different animal. The Jayhawks already have three wins over Top-10 teams this season, including one over UConn. Kansas is a perfect 11-0 at home, including that win over the Huskies.

I think Houston can win a national championship this year, but they’ll need to gain some experience against tough teams in awkward matchups to help them get there. That starts today — I’m picking Kansas to win at home.

My best bet: Kansas moneyline (+105 at BetMGM)

Houston vs Kansas same-game parlay

Kansas moneyline

Over 134

Hunter Dickinson Over 15.5 points

+410 at DraftKings

My main concern for Houston tonight is the matchup against Kansas center Hunter Dickinson, and that’s playing a big role in my SGP. 

I’m once again taking the Jayhawks to win outright, and combining that with a bet on Dickinson to go Over his scoring prop of 15.5 points. Dickinson has hit that number in five of his last six games and should be the focal point of the Kansas offense today.

I’m also taking the full-game Over at 134 points. While Houston traditionally plays Under that number, we’ve seen some of their Big 12 opponents speed the Cougars up just a bit.

Houston has played to totals of 135 or more in their last three conference road games, and I’m taking the Over again today to round out our SGP.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Houston vs Kansas spread and Over/Under analysis

Houston opened today’s game as a 2-point favorite. While lines now vary, the consensus spread has settled in at around Houston -1.5. There are some outliers, however, and I’ve even seen a few books post this game as a pick‘em.

Nobody has been the least bit surprised by the greatness of these two teams, so their numbers against the spread are mediocre. Houston fares slightly better with an 11-9-1 ATS record, while Kansas is just 9-11 ATS on the year so far.

This game comes down to matchups for me, and I expect Houston to have real problems with Dickinson in the post.

That’s not just about stopping him from scoring, but also a rebounding issue and even one on offense, as the Cougars will find it hard to get easy buckets in the lane. While I love this Houston team, I’m taking the Jayhawks to win outright and like them on the modest spread as well.

Tonight’s total opened at a modest 134 points. That remains the consensus Over/Under, though I’ve seen sites adding a hook either way to 133.5 or 134.5. For the most part, you can get -110 on either side no matter where you bet.

Houston is the country’s premier defensive squad, and the Under has gone 14-7 when the Cougars play as a result. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks are a flat even 10-10 O/U.

While Houston tends to keep scoring down, it has seen its totals gradually rise against Big 12 competition. Moreover, Kansas is a capable offensive squad, averaging 79.2 points per game against strong opposition. The Jayhawks also aren’t likely to acquiesce to the Cougars’ slow pace. I’m leaning towards the Over in this one.

Houston vs Kansas betting trend to know

Kansas is 11-0 at home this season. Find more college basketball betting trends for Houston vs. Kansas.

Houston vs Kansas game info

Houston vs Kansas key injuries

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