#14 Texas Tech vs. #7 Houston Picks and Predictions: Top 15 Big 12 Battle
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Tue Jan 06, 2026, 10:00 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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One of best and deepest conferences in college hoops gives up a top 15 showdown tonight in the Fertitta Center. The No. 7 Houston Cougars and Kelvin Sampson host the No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders for a conference contest. Just like in Duke vs. Louisville, we have a 13-1 team going up against an 11-3 squad, likely giving us some great basketball to watch. Let's get into our favorite picks and predictions for this Big 12 Battle on Super Tuesday!
Best Bet: Texas Tech/Houston Under 141 (-107) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
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#14 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. #7 Houston Cougars NCAA Basketball Insights
Houston has a tough task against Texas Tech tonight at home
Texas Tech has lost three games this year, all to solid opponents. They lost to Illinois by four on the road, were blown out by Purdue in the Baha Mar Championship, and then lost to Arkansas in Dallas in what felt like a road game for the Red Raiders. Since that loss to the Hogs, the Red Raiders have strung together four straight wins, including a Big 12 victory by 22 and an upset over No. 3 Duke as well. Can they find a way to upset Houston on the road?
The National Runner Ups are looking to get back to the championship this March, and so far they are well on their way. Houston has lost just once, to No. 17 Tennessee in Las Vegas in the Player's Era Festival. The Cougars haven't been overly dominating their opponents, but they did beat that Arkansas team by nine. Can they cover this number against Texas Tech?
Matchup Information – Texas Tech vs. Houston – January 6
- Venue & Location: Fertitta Center (Houston, TX)
- Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2025
- Kick Off: 9:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: FS1
Texas Tech vs. Houston Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of January 6, 2025 at 9:13 a.m. eastern. Sign up today with and get a $1,250 deposit bonus, as well as 50 slot spins immediately. Lucky Rebel Sportsbook offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- Texas Tech +5.5 (-107)
- Houston -5.5 (-114)
Moneyline
- Texas Tech +200
- Houston -250
Total
- Over 141 (-113)
- Under 141 (-107)
Big 12 basketball is built on defense, and these two teams exemplify that. They are two of the best defensive teams in the country, they already play slow, and I don't see the winner of this game reaching 70 points.
#14 Texas Tech vs. #7 Houston NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions
Christian Anderson and the Red Raiders take on the Houston Cougars on the road tonight
Texas Tech vs. Houston Prediction: Houston Wins and Covers, Under 141
Best Bet: Texas Tech/Houston Under 141 (-107) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Take the under with me tonight. We know Houston is bottom 20 in the country in terms of pace, averaging just over 64 possessions per game. They don't shoot too many threes, are allergic at getting to the stripe (bottom 12), but they make up for it on the defensive end. Houston is top 10 in overall defensive efficiency, top 21 in opponent eFG% and are No. 5 in turnovers forced. Plus, they rank top 20 in opponent 3P% as well, which will come into play.
Texas Tech is north of 200 in pace, so despite being a little faster, they won't speed things up too much. Like the Cougars, they don't get to the free throw line very often (No. 271), and they love to shoot threes. Texas Tech is top 60 in 3P Rate and top 25 in 3P%, but on the road their shooting percentage drops below 35% from deep, compared to them shooting over 38% otherwise. Houston knows they don't need to score 75 to win this game, 65 more than likely gets the job done, and even 60 might do it. I see this game staying well below the current total, thinking these teams combined for just 120ish points when it's all said and done.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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