Friday night will feature a battle between the Cougars (Houston) and the Cougars (BYU) in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. They will be competing for an opportunity to play in the Big 12 Tournament title game and perhaps secure their first conference title since joining the league.
Despite being relative newcomers to the conference, the two programs have emerged as consistent success stories in the Big 12, particularly Houston. Kelvin Sampson's team has won the regular season title in each of its two seasons in the league and finished runner-up in last year's tournament.
But in Alex Young's first year at BYU, those Cougars have also looked formidable, ready to keep pace with any offense in the league. It could be a clash of styles on Friday night.
How to watch Houston vs. BYU
- Date: Friday, March 14
- Time: 7:00pm ET
- Venue: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Houston record: 28-4
- BYU record: 24-8
Houston vs. BYU odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- BYU +260
- Houston -330
Spread
- BYU +7.5 (-110)
- Houston -7.5 (-110)
Total
- 134.5 (over -115/under -105)
Houston injury report
- J'Wan Roberts, F: Questionable (ankle)
- Ramon Walker, G: Questionable (hand)
- Jacob McFarland, C: Questionable (leg)
BYU injury report
- Kanon Catchings, F: Out (knee)
Houston and BYU series history
- Houston all-time record vs. BYU: 3-1
Houston vs. BYU prediction
There are a couple of weird things going on this week that could factor into this contest.
One is that BYU is coming off an all-time scorcher. In the quarterfinals game against the Iowa State Cyclones, the Cougars made 18 three-pointers, a record for the Big 12 Tournament. None was bigger than Richie Saunders' shot from beyond the arc with less than a minute to go. Best believe BYU will be going into the semifinals feeling dangerous.
Another is that J'Wan Roberts went down on Thursday in the second half with a right ankle sprain that sidelined him for the rest of the game. He wasn't really needed to beat Colorado, but Houston's leading rebounder would be valuable to have against BYU. Then again, Kelvin Sampson has to consider keeping him out and staying focused on the NCAA Tournament after previous March injury woes for the program.
These are two of the hottest teams, not only in the conference, but in the nation. Houston is working on a streak of 11 straight victories. BYU is not too far behind with nine straight wins.
When these two teams faced off earlier this year, it was no contest. Houston wrecked BYU by 31 points, outrebounding BYU easily while shooting the lights out, hitting nearly half of its three-pointers. Houston also forced 15 turnovers and scored 24 points off of those turnovers.
BYU is much improved from that demolition derby after shuffling its starting lineup. Even if Roberts is held out, however, the defensive tenacity of Houston should keep BYU at bay once again.
Prediction: Houston 70, BYU 65