TCU vs Houston Predictions, Picks, and Odds: Frogs Have Legs

The TCU Horned Frogs took a step closer to getting off the bubble and into the March Madness odds with a Round 2 win over Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament bracket.

Their place would likely be secured if they could pull off a quarterfinal upset this afternoon in Kansas City, as they battle the Houston Cougars — the top team in the nation — as 10-point underdogs in the college basketball odds.

The Cougars, who’ve already sewn a top seed for themselves at March Madness, have ripped off nine straight wins and have just one loss in their last 15 games — though that run was preceded by a loss to these very Horned Frogs. Still, the conference tournament odds aren't suddenly tilting in TCU's favor.

Can the Horned Frogs pull off the upset and propel themselves to the Big Dance? Check my free TCU vs Houston college basketball picks on Thursday, March 14.

TCU vs Houston best odds

TCU vs Houston picks and predictions

The Houston Cougars break down their opponents with a smothering, all-encompassing defense that makes it hard to get good looks, let alone buckets. UH tops the nation in scoring defense, allowing a paltry 56.9 points per game, making it the only school to go sub-57 in the NCAA this year.

The Cougars limit teams to 38.3% shooting from the field, which ranks second in college hoops, and 30.2% from distance (17th).

During their nine-game winning streak to end the year, the Cougars allowed just two teams to clear 65 points while scoring at a 75.5 point per game clip, a jump from their season average of 74.2, which ranked 10th in the conference.

Today, they’ll get a crack at one of the three teams that hung an L on them all year, as the TCU Horned Frogs edged Houston 68-67 on January 13.

The Horned Frogs held their own offensively, shooting 43.1% from the field and an impressive 8-for-15 from distance, a 53.3% clip. The biggest statistical difference came from the free throw line, as TCU took 16 more attempts, and that +7 margin played a huge role in securing the win.

Defensively, it held Houston to just 42.2% shooting, and an even more microscopic 4-for-18 from 3-point range (22.2%).

The Horned Frogs got to the quarterfinals with a 77-70 win over Oklahoma State — a comparable team to Houston’s top-shelf defense.

TCU found the range against the top 3-point shooting defense in the Big 12, drilling 7-for-18 from beyond the arc, just a shade under 39%. Defensively, the Frogs converted 18 Sooner turnovers into 20 big points.

There has been a target on Houston’s back down the home stretch, and the scores show that even if they have all been resilient wins. Save for a season-ending 30-point blowout win over Kansas, Houston’s previous five games all ended in single-digit W’s, going 1-3-1 against the spread.

I don’t know if TCU will win, but I like them to keep things close in a game that could determine its NCAA Tournament fate.

My best bet: TCU +10 (-110 at DraftKings)

TCU vs Houston same-game parlay

TCU +10

Emanuel Miller Over 14.5 points

LJ Cryer Over 2.5 made threes

+390 at DraftKings

Emanuel Miller was the man against Oklahoma, dropping 26 points on an efficient 9-for-13 shooting to go along with eight boards and three assists.

Miller has been handed a fair 14.5-point scoring line against the Cougars, a mark he missed by a bucket in the last meeting when he scored 13 points on a rough 3-for-10 performance. This is a figure he’s topped in three of his last four games, and he’ll need to be prominent for the Horned Frogs to have any chance to advance.

From the fourth-leading scoring in the Big 12 to the seventh, we’ll wrap up this three-legged SGP with Houston's sharpshooter LJ Cryer.

He’s coming off an 11-point game against Kansas, but he did hit three triples. That makes it now five straight games and six in the last seven that Cryer has made at least three 3-pointers in a game. His 38.9% clip from distance is tops in the conference and inside the Top 45 in all of college hoops.

With a nightmarish shooting game against TCU in January, where he connected on just one moneyball in seven attempts, look for Cryer to exact some revenge in KC.

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

TCU vs Houston spread and Over/Under analysis

This spread started at eight points but quickly climbed to double digits across all the books.

For how great Houston is, it’s not an exceptional cover team, going 14-15-2 against the spread. The Horned Frogs are a solid spread bet, going 19-13-0 ATS.

The total has gone as high as 138.5 points, but almost all the sites dropped it down a point as of Wednesday night.

Houston’s Under record is 18-13-0, about what you’d expect from the stingiest defensive team in the nation. TCU is on the opposite end of the spectrum, with the Over hitting in 18 of 32 games.

TCU vs Houston betting trend to know

Houston is 9-2 ATS and 12-0 overall when scoring 68 or more points. Find more college basketball betting trends for TCU vs. Houston.

TCU vs Houston game info

TCU vs Houston key injuries

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic