A marquee Big Monday matchup takes center stage as the No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones (22-3, 9-3) host the No. 3 Houston Cougars (23-2, 11-1) in a Top 5 showdown tonight at Hilton Coliseum featuring two of the nation’s premier defenses. The Cougars sit atop the Big 12 by one game over Arizona and two over Iowa State.
Saturday, the Cougars smacked Kansas State, 78-64, to win their sixth in a row. Emanuel Sharp scored 23 points and pulled down six boards to pace Houston’s attack in the win. Iowa State, meanwhile, returns to the court in Ames after dismantling Kansas Saturday, 74-56. Five Cyclones hit double figures led by Milan Momcilovic’s 18 points (4-9 from three). Iowa State is a perfect 14-0 in Ames this season (47-2 over the last three seasons).
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As alluded to earlier, the game is expected to be a rock fight defined by intense defense from two of the best in the nation. Houston owns the No. 1 defense in the nation and Iowa State is sixth. The pressure will start right from the opening tip as the Cougars allow an average of only 27.9 points in the first half and the Cyclones just 29.6 points. Not much changes in the second half as Iowa State allows a mere 64.5 points per game with Houston even better at suffocating their opponents allowing 61.3 points.
With only a handful of games remaining in the regular season, this game has massive implications in the Big 12 and the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Houston has a record of 7-2 in Q1 games and is 8-0 in Q2. Iowa State is 6-3 in Q1 and 9-0 in Quad 2 games. That said, Iowa State is ranked No. 7 in KenPom and No. 8 in the NET. Houston is ranked No. 4 in KenPom and 4th in the NET.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
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We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Game Details and How to Watch Live: No. 3 Houston at No. 5 Iowa State
Date: Monday, February 16, 2026
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Game Odds: No. 3 Houston at No. 5 Iowa State
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Houston Cougars (+120), Iowa State Cyclones (-142)
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This game opened ISU -1.5 with the Total set at 133.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NCAA Basketball schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups: No. 3 Houston at No. 5 Iowa StateHouston CougarsIowa State CyclonesInjury Report: Houston at Iowa StateHouston Cougars
Kordel Jefferson (knee) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Bryce Jackson (redshirt) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Iowa State Cyclones
Xzavion Mitchell (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Mason Williams (hip) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: No. 3 Houston at No. 5 Iowa State
Iowa State is 14-0 at home this season
Houston is 5-1 on the road this season
Iowa State is 15-10 ATS overall this season / 7-7 at home
Houston is 14-11 ATS overall this season / 4-2 on the road
The OVER has cashed in 11 of Iowa State’s 25 games this season (11-14)
The OVER has cashed in 10 of Houston’s 25 games this season (10-15)
Milan Momcilovic has scored 18 or more points in 4 of his last 6 games
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s game between Iowa State and Houston:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on Houston on the Moneyline
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on Houston +2.5 ATS
Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 134.5
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