March 13, 2026, 2:29 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
The No. 16 Kansas Jayhawks (23-9) and the No. 5 Houston Cougars (27-5) meet Friday in a Big 12 Tournament semifinal game. Tip-off from T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s<\/a> NCAA basketball odds around the Kansas vs. Houston odds and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions<\/a> for the best bets.<\/p>\n Kansas posted a 69-56 as a 2.5-point underdog on Feb. 23 over Houston at Allen Fieldhouse in the only regular-season meeting. Houston G Kingston Flemings went for 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal, while Kansas G Tre White paced the home side with 23 points with 3 3-pointers.<\/p>\n Houston took care of the BYU Cougars in the quarterfinal round Thursday 73-66, although it failed to cover as a 9.5-point favorite as the Under (147.5) cashed. Flemings led the way with 17 points, while F Joseph Tugler was good for 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.<\/p>\n Kansas snuck by the TCU Horned Frogs in the quarters 78-73, barely covering as a 4.5-point favorite as the Over (146.5) cashed. G Darryn Peterson was good for 24 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.<\/p>\n The Big 12 Conference announced Thursday that the glass floor with LED lightning at T-Mobile Center will be replaced with a traditional hardwood surface for the remainder of the tournament following complaints with footing and vision.<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0Rankings:\u00a0USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll<\/a><\/p>\n THE BRACKETS ARE BACK!<\/a> $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket, $20,000 prize for top bracket. Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See official rules. Play now!<\/a><\/p>\n Watch NCAA basketball on Fubo!<\/a>Kansas vs. Houston odds<\/p>\n Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook<\/a>; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub<\/a> for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:17 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n Moneyline (ML): Kansas +200 (bet $100 to win $200) | Houston -250 (bet $250 to win $100)Against the spread: Kansas +5.5 (-105) | Houston -5.5 (-115)Over\/Under (O\/U): 138.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)<\/p>\n USA TODAY Sports’ SURVIVOR POOLS<\/a> for the Men’s and Women\u2019s Basketball Tournaments are here with a $5K prize for each contest! Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now!<\/a><\/p>\n Kansas vs. Houston picks and predictionsPrediction<\/p>\n Houston 72, Kansas 68<\/p>\n Houston (-250) will cost you 2 1\/2 times your potential return, and that’s way too much risk for not nearly enough reward in a battle between ranked teams. In addition, it is likely to be a pro-Jayhawks crowd given the proximity to Lawrence, and we saw how well that worked for the Cougars last time it played in front of a house full of Jayhawks fans.<\/p>\n PASS.<\/p>\n KANSAS +5.5 (-110) is worth a look as underdogs in Kansas City. Houston lost outright as a favorite in the regular-season meeting in Lawrence, and it should be another pro-KU crowd and hostile environment for the Cougars. However, in the end, I think Houston pulls it out.<\/p>\n The Jayhawks have covered the past 2 games, and it’s the first time they’ve had consecutive covers since a 6-0 ATS run from Jan. 13-Feb. 2, so proceed with caution and don’t get carried away.<\/p>\n OVER 137.5 (-110) is the lean, but roll with a half-unit play at most.<\/p>\n The Over cashed against TCU in the quarters for KU, and the Over has hit in 2 in a row. However, the Under is 5-3 in the past 8 games for Kansas, including the regular-season meeting with UH on Feb. 23.<\/p>\n Houston cashed low in the quarterfinals against BYU, and the Under is 9-3 in the past 12 games. Still, this is a very low number, and it should get Over the finish line in the final minute or two.<\/p>\n For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com<\/a> and BetFTW<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow @danieledobish<\/a> on\u00a0Twitter\/X.\u00a0Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter\/X<\/a> and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:<\/p>\n Alabama<\/a> \/ Auburn<\/a> \/ Clemson<\/a>\u00a0\/ Colorado<\/a> \/ Duke<\/a> \/\u00a0Florida<\/a> \/ Florida State<\/a> \/\u00a0Georgia<\/a> \/ Iowa<\/a> \/ Kentucky<\/a> \/\u00a0LSU<\/a>\u00a0\/ Michigan<\/a>\u00a0\/ Michigan State<\/a> \/ Nebraska<\/a> \/ North Carolina<\/a> \/ Notre Dame<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ohio State<\/a>\u00a0\/ Oklahoma<\/a> \/ Oregon<\/a> \/ Penn State<\/a> \/ Tennessee<\/a>\u00a0\/ Texas<\/a> \/ Texas A&M<\/a> \/ UCLA<\/a> \/ USC<\/a> \/ Washington<\/a> \/\u00a0Wisconsin<\/a> \/ College Sports Wire<\/a> \/ High School<\/a> \/ Recruiting<\/a><\/p>\n