Houston Vs West Virginia Should Be A Defensive Clinic

Houston vs. West Virginia, 7:00 ET

I was able capture a win on the ice last night so you might be thinking… "Why doesn't he go back to the ice if he's had good success there?" It is a worthy question, and one that I don't have a great answer for other than the fact that I want to get basketball plays back on track after a couple of losses in a row. I also think that tonight's game could be one of the better edges we have on the card tonight as the Houston Cougars take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. 

Houston is rolling right now and playing very well since the Big 12 games have started. The Cougars are 16-3 for the season and are 8-0 in conference games. They've won 12 straight games, but are coming off a really difficult game where they went to double overtime against Kansas. This game took place Saturday, so fatigue shouldn't be a factor, but it is always a bit dangerous to back a team off of an overtime or double overtime game. Still, that was one of the few close calls that Houston has had over the past 12 games. Over the past 12 games, they've won 10 of them by 13 or more points. The only two close games came on the road against UCF when they won by one point, and by six points against Kansas on the road Saturday. They did face West Virginia recently and beat them in Houston by 16 points. It is a bit interesting that Houston has maintained this success without a truly consistent scorer. Their leading scorer is L.J. Cryer, but he is only averaging 13.5 points, but he hasn't led the team in scoring since December 10th. Emanuel Sharp has lead them quite a bit lately and is second on the team in scoring. The duo provides a very talented 1-2 punch that will cause problems for West Virginia.

Jan 25, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Houston Cougars forward J'Wan Roberts (13) controls the ball as Kansas Jayhawks guard AJ Storr (2) defends during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

How can the Mountaineers combat Houston's backcourt? They have a decent one of their own and should be able to at least potentially slow down the Cougars. West Virginia has had one of the more interesting campaigns this season with a 13-6 record, but they are just 4-4 in conference. If you look at their game-by-game breakdown they have some very impressive wins and some questionable losses. They've beaten Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas, and Iowa State, but they've lost to Pittsburgh, Louisville, Airzona, Houston, Arizona State, and Kansas State. You never really know what you're going to get out of this team. Normally for college teams the home floor is their sanctuary, but with West Virginia they can't really claim that this season. Their home record is 9-2 but losses to Arizona and Arizona State on their home floor makes me a bit concerned. Also, keep in mind the majority of those wins were against mid-tier at-best schools. Javon Small is the leader of this team averaging almost 20 points per game, so expect Houston to try and lock in on him. 

This should be a good game, and I do lean toward West Virginia at home getting the points. Houston is definitely the better team, and is playing better currently. I know they've struggled the past two games on the road. It wouldn't be a surprise to see them win the game, but not cover. I'm just not overly sure that I want to back West Virginia here. Instead I think the total is a safer bet and we should play the under. Houston is holding teams to just 55.6 points per game and West Virginia is holding teams to 64.4 per game. There isn't much room for error here, but I will back the under.