The Houston Cougars (11-3) travel to face off against the Kansas State Wildcats (7-7) on Saturday, January 11th. This game will be played at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan and televised on ESPN+. Houston is coming off a win in their previous game, while Kansas State is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Oklahoma State. Tip-off is set for 6:00 ET.

Houston Cougars vs Kansas State Wildcats

The Cougars Are Coming Off A Win

Houston improved to 11-3 on the season with a 65-46 win over TCU on Monday. The Cougars, playing at home, entered the game as -18.5 favorites and covered the spread. The total points for the game were 111, falling short of the 128.5 O/U line.

Houston led 29-22 at halftime and pulled away in the 2nd half, outscoring TCU 36-24.

The Wildcats Are Coming Off A Win

Kansas State Wildcats Recent Game

The Wildcats dropped to 7-7 on the season after a 79-66 road loss to Oklahoma State on Tuesday. Kansas State entered the game as +2.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 145, just under the O/U line of 146.5.

Kansas State struggled in the first half, trailing 43-24 at the break. They showed some fight in the second half, outscoring the Cowboys 42-36, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the early deficit.

Cougars Offense Breakdown

Houston put up 65 points in their last game, shooting 48.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 55.6%. They connected on 42.1% of their three-point attempts, going 8-for-19 from deep, while hitting 51.4% of their two-point shots.

Noah Reynolds led the way with 19 points, despite missing all 5 of his three-point attempts. Emanuel Sharp added 14 points, hitting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and J’Wan Roberts contributed 12 points and 3 assists.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

Kansas State’s offense put up 66 points in their last game, shooting 51.1% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 55.3%, thanks largely to their 63.6% shooting on two-point attempts (21/33). However, they struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 3 of 14 threes (21.4%).

Abou Ousmane led the way with 27 points, shooting 73.3% overall and hitting his only three-point attempt. Coleman Hawkins added 18 points, while Marchelus Avery contributed 13 points, making 3 of 6 from deep. David N’Guessan chipped in 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists as well.

Cougars Team Defense

Even though the Cougars gave up 46 points, they allowed the opposing team to shoot 48% from the field, with 26 made baskets on 54 attempts. Inside the arc, the defense gave up 51% shooting, as the other team hit 18 of their 35 two-point shots.

From beyond the arc, the Cougars allowed 8 threes on 19 attempts, with the opposing team shooting 42% from deep. Houston sent them to the line 9 times, where they made 5 free throws, shooting 55%. The Cougars also gave up 11 offensive rebounds.

Wildcats Team Defense

Despite Houston’s defensive efforts, they allowed 46 points on 48% shooting from the field. The opposing team shot 51% from two-point range, connecting on 18 of their 35 attempts.

From beyond the arc, the opposition hit 8 of 19 threes, shooting 42%. They also went 5/9 from the free-throw line. Houston gave up 11 offensive rebounds.

Cougars vs Wildcats Trends

• Although Houston has a straight up record of 7-3 in their last ten road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 3-6-1. The team averaged 72 points per game in these games.
• Through their last three home games, Kansas State has an ATS record of just 1-2. However, their overall record was 0-3 while averaging 64 points per game.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the underdog, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 3-7. Their record vs the spread in these games was 5-5.
• As the betting favorite, the Cougars have an ATS record of 3-0 in their last three games. In these matchups, their straight up record was 3-0.

Cougars vs Wildcats Prediction

The Wildcats come in as the underdog at +11.5, making them our top choice on the point spread. We not only expect them to cover the spread but also believe they have a strong chance of winning the game outright, especially if you’re aiming for a higher moneyline payout.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 126.5, and our model predicts the Cougars and Wildcats to score a combined 145 points. We recommend betting on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.