The Houston Cougars are ready for another deep run in the NCAA Tournament, but they’re likely to miss out on the Big 12 regular season title and a No. 1 seed in the bracket. They can still continue to pad their resume in the final few games.
They have a great chance to do that on Saturday when they host the Colorado Buffaloes, who are just 6-9 in conference play.
Let’s dive into the odds and my best bet for this matinee matchup.
Colorado vs. Houston Odds, Spread, and Total
Spread
Colorado +18.5 (-102)Houston -18.2 (-120)
Moneyline
Colorado +1400Houston -4000
Total
OVER 140.5 (-110)UNDER 140.5 (-110)Colorado vs. Houston How to WatchDate: Saturday, February 28Game Time: Noon ETVenue: Fertitta CenterHow to Watch (TV): ESPN2Colorado Record: 16-12 (6-9 in Big 12)Houston Record: 23-5 (11-4 in Big 12)Colorado vs. Houston Betting TrendsColorado is 4-1 ATS in its last five gamesThe UNDER is 6-1 in Colorado’s last seven gamesHouston is 0-5 ATS in its last five gamesThe UNDER is 7-1 in Houston’s last eight gamesColorado vs. Houston Key Player to WatchKingston Flemings, G – Houston Cougars
The Houston offense goes through Kingston Flemings. He’s leading the team in both points per game (16.6) and assists per game (5.1). He’s shooting 48.2% from the field this season, while also contributing defensively, averaging 1.6 steals per game. If Houston wants to make another run at the national championship, the Cougars need some of their other pieces to step up on offense and give Flemings some support.
Colorado vs. Houston Prediction and Pick
I don’t trust Houston’s offense to lead the Cougars to a dominant enough win to cover this big spread. Houston ranks just 177th in effective field goal percentage at 51.4%. That number drops all the way to 43.3% over their last three games, which could be a bad sign of things to come for this time.
Colorado has a lot of issues defensively, but at least the Buffaloes are a better shooting team, ranking 110th in eFG% at 53%.
Houston is able to win by margin when they can force turnovers and create extra scoring chances for themselves, but I think they’ll struggle to do that against a Colorado team that ranks 39th in turnovers per possession, coughing the ball up on just 14.2% of their possessions.
I’ll take the points with Colorado.
Pick: Colorado +18.5 (-102)
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You can check out all of Iain’s bets here!