The Texas Tech Red Raiders (14-2) travel to face off against the Houston Cougars (14-2) on Wednesday, January 17th. This game will be played at Fertitta Center in Houston and televised on ESPNU. Texas Tech is coming off a win in their previous game, while Houston is looking to get back on track from a loss to the TCU. Tip-off is set for 9:00 ET.
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Houston Cougars
The Texas Tech Red Raiders Are Coming Off A Win
Through 16 games, Texas Tech has been dominant, going 14-2 overall and 3-0 in Big 12 play. Their win streak is up to nine games, and they have been even better at home, going 10-0 with an average scoring margin of +17.8 points per game.
On the road, the Red Raiders have gone 4-2, and they are 2-2 as underdogs. For the season, they have been underdogs in four of their 16 games, going 2-2 in those contests. Their average scoring margin on the road is a solid +4.5 points per game.
Overall, Texas Tech has an ATS record of .500 this season at 8-8. On the road, they are 3-3 vs. the spread and over their last 10 road games, they have gone 6-4 vs. the spread. As the underdog, the Red Raiders have gone 2-2 vs. the spread this year and over their last 10 games as the underdog, they have gone 7-3 vs. the spread.
Today’s over/under line of 129.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Texas Tech games this season (138.1). So far, 15 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 142 points.
The Houston Cougars Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
After dropping two straight games, Houston will look to get back on track as they host Texas Tech. The Cougars have been dominant at home this season, going 10-0 with an average scoring margin of +34.3 points per game.
Overall, Houston is 14-2 on the season, including a perfect 13-0 non-conference record. However, they are just 1-2 in Big 12 play.
At home this season, Houston has an ATS mark of 7-3 and they have gone 3-0 vs. the spread in their last three home games. Overall, the Cougars are 8-7 vs. the spread this year.
This season, the over/under record for Houston games is 4-11 and today’s line of 129.5 is lower than the average over/under line of 134.2 in their games. So far, nine of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 129 points.
Texas Tech Offense Breakdown
The Texas Tech offense is coming off a game where they scored 60 points against Kansas State. They posted a field goal percentage of 36.4% and connected on 5 threes. Currently leading the team in scoring is Pop Isaacs who comes into today’s matchup averaging 16.4. Joe Toussaint also heads into the game with a PPG average of 14.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pop Isaacs (G) | 16.4 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
| Joe Toussaint (G) | 14.0 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
| Warren Washington (F) | 10.0 | 7.8 | 1.9 |
Houston Offense Breakdown
Coming off their recent game, the Houston offense tallied 67 points in a matchup against TCU. Their field goal percentage for the game was 42.2%, and they made 4 threes. LJ Cryer is currently the leading scorer for the team, entering today’s matchup with an average of 15.6. Meanwhile, Emanuel Sharp also brings a PPG average of 13.4 into the game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| LJ Cryer (G) | 15.6 | 2.8 | 1.9 |
| Emanuel Sharp (G) | 13.4 | 3.6 | 0.9 |
| Jamal Shead (G) | 10.1 | 3.8 | 5.9 |
Texas Tech Team Defense
So far, the Red Raiders’ defense is ranked 41st in the country at 64.8 points per contest. Against Kansas State in their most recent game, the Texas Tech defense gave up a total of 59 points while allowing Kansas State to hit 36% of their shots.
Houston Team Defense
Coming into today’s game, the Houston defense is giving up an average of 51.4 points per contest. So far, the Houston defense is giving up an average of 8.1 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 8.8 times per game (354th).
Red Raiders vs Cougars Trends
- When looking at their past five road matchups, Texas Tech has an ATS record of 3-2 while averaging 78 per game. The team went 4-1 overall in these games.
- When looking at their past three home matchups, Houston has an ATS record of 0-3 while averaging 63 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
- The last five games that Texas Tech was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 2-3 while going 2-3 straight up.
- In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Cougars have a straight up record of 1-2 and an ATS mark of 1-2.
Red Raiders vs Cougars Prediction
When looking to get a point-spread pick down in this Cougars vs. Cougars game, our recommendation is to take the Cougars at -11.5. Despite our model showing the Cougars winning 76-67, we like Red Raiders as our point-spread pick.
Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 129.5, and our model predicts the Red Raiders and Cougars to score a combined 143 points. We recommend betting on the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* 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.
Last updated:January 17, 2024 Houston Cougars, Teams, Texas Tech Red Raiders