Big 12 Matchup Should Have Methodical And Intense Action

Houston vs. Iowa State, 9:00 ET

This was a surprisingly good basketball weekend. Not only did we have some excellent basketball games and matchups on the college level, the pros actually put a bit of effort into All-Star Weekend. At least for the first portion of it. The round robin section of the All-Star Game was actually competitive. It is fun watching the best players in a sport actually compete. If the league can lean on Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards, they should have a chance to regain some of those who have gone away from the sport. The pros are still on a break, but we have some good games kicking off the week in College Basketball, with none better than Houston taking on Iowa State. 

Houston is currently ranked as the third-best team in the nation. This really shouldn't be a surprise at this point. The Cougars have consistently been one of the better programs and have always had a relatively similar identity under their head coach, Kelvin Sampson. They aren't the most exciting team to watch, usually. Instead of getting fast-paced players who rack up points, Houston tends to have guys who work hard on defense and swarm the ball. That isn't to say their offense can't be effective. They are averaging 78.3 points per game, but they aren't overly dominant from one player. This is more of a team scoring approach where everyone is involved. They are playing good basketball right now, having won six straight games. Overall, they are 23-2 and have lost just one conference game. The out-of-conference game was a three-point loss to Tennessee. The other loss was to Texas Tech on the road, one they dropped by just four points. As a reflection of what I was mentioning earlier, they allowed 90 points in that game, but they still kept up with the scoring. Their flaw might be that they can't really do both scoring and consistent defense at an elite level. 

(Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images)

Iowa State is also highly ranked and has one of the better teams in the nation. They are fifth in ranks with a 22-3 record overall, and they have suffered all of their losses in the Big 12. Their three came against Kansas, Cincinnati, and TCU. All three had one thing in common, though. They lost each one of those games on the road, and they really weren't close games. They fell by 11, 9, and 7 points in the losses. That isn't to say they can't beat a good team - they have beaten Purdue, winning by 23 on the road. They also beat Kansas on Saturday, winning by 18. They really haven't had to play many ranked teams this season. Kansas was ranked #9 when they played Sunday, but outside of that, Iowa State has only faced three ranked opponents. They have a much tougher schedule approaching with BYU, Texas Tech, and Arizona all on the horizon. 

I think if this game were to be played on a neutral court, Houston wins eight or nine times out of 10. The game is being played in Iowa, though. They played on the road last year, and the Cyclones lost. Two years ago, they split with the home team winning both games. This is the battle of two great programs facing off. Houston has Arizona waiting for them next game, but I don't think this is a situation where they overlook their opponent. I think this is a game that we see the teams struggle to get to 70 points with each possession taking their time to find optimal shots. The programs know each other well, so the first options probably wont be there. Give me the under 134.5 in this one. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024