The No. 5
Houston Cougars (16-3, 8-0 Big 12) and the
West Virginia Mountaineers (13-6, 4-4) meet Wednesday at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze
BetMGM Sportsbook’s college basketball odds around the
Houston vs. West Virginia odds , and make our expert
college basketball picks and predictions . The Cougars are coming off a 92-86 victory in overtime Saturday at thre Kansas Jayhawks, cashing as a 1-point underdog at Allen Fieldhouse as the Over (128) was never in question. Houston has won 12 in a row since a 73-70 OT loss on a neutral floor Nov. 30 against the San Diego State Aztecs. The Cougars are also on a 7-2 against the spread (ATS) run in the past 9 games, while the Under has hit in 3 of the previous 4 outings. These teams met Jan. 15 at Fertitta Center in Houston, with the Cougars winning 70-54, but missing a cover as 16.5-point favorites at most shops as the Under (125) just came in. The Mountaineers have dropped back-to-back games against the Iowa State Cyclones at home and Kansas State Wildcats on the road, while going just 2-4 straight up (SU) and 3-3 ATS in the past 6 games to tumble out of the rankings. The Under is 3-1 in the past 4 games, while cashing at a 7-2 clip in the previous 9 outings. Provided by
BetMGM Sportsbook ; access
USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:17 a.m. ET.
Houston at West Virginia picks and predictions
Prediction
Houston (-325) will cost you more than 3 times your potential return, and that’s quite a bit of risk for not a great reward. If you were to toss this into a multi-leg parlay of 5 or 6 teams, perhaps with a profit boost, it wouldn’t be priced out of line. However,
PASS betting this straight up.
HOUSTON -7.5 (
-110 ) is worth a look on the road, but don’t get carried away. The Cougars are coming off an emotional win at Kansas, and the offense has been able to cobble together at least 69 points in 5 games in a row. While UH is 7-2 ATS in the past 9 games, one of those non-covers came against West Virginia +7.5 (-110) just 2 weeks ago.
UNDER 123.5 (
-105 ) is the lean, but go with a
half-unit play at best. The Under is 8-4 in the past 12 games for Houston, but be careful, as the total has gone high in 2 of the past 3 road games. The Under did cash in the first meeting against West Virginia 2 weeks ago, though it was only by a single point. The Over cashed last time out for WVU, but the Under is 9-3 in the past 12 games for the Mountaineers. At home, the Under has cashed in 5 in a row, too.
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