Houston vs. Texas Tech Prediction: Red Raiders in Must-Win Situation

No. 9 Texas Tech (21-6, 12-4) can keep their slim conference title hopes alive with a win at home over the No. 5 Houston Cougars (23-4, 15-1) today. Tipoff for this Big 12 battle between top ten teams is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET at the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, TX.

The Red Raiders are 14-2 when they play at home this season and will take a six-game home win streak into this contest. Their last home loss was on Jan. 11 vs. then-No. 3 Iowa State; they fell 85-84 in OT. However, Houston has yet to lose a road game this season (8-0).

That is probably why they are 1.5-point road favorites despite losing to Texas Tech at home just a few weeks ago (82-81 in OT). What does all this mean? It means fans and bettors are in for an incredible game. Let’s take a look at the odds and our preview and picks for the game.

Houston vs. Texas Tech Odds for Monday, February 24

Check the latest odds for Houston vs Texas Tech in the table below. Place your bets at some of the best NCAAM betting sites available today.

Houston vs. Texas Tech Prediction

Houston has been a team of road warriors this season, going 8-0 straight up and 6-2 (75 percent) against the spread. The OVER is 3-4-1 on the road and 4-2 vs. ranked teams. Texas Tech has defended their home court well, going 14-2 SU and 10-6 ATS, and the OVER is 8-7-1.

The Cougars are 2-4 ATS vs. ranked opponents, while the Red Raiders are 1-3 ATS against ranked teams.

Houston Cougars Preview

Head coach Kelvin Sampson has his team poised to win the regular season conference title for the sixth time in seven years. With a three-game lead on Texas Tech and Arizona in the conference and four games to go, the Cougars can eliminate the Red Raiders with a win tonight.

But after losing to the Red Raiders at home on Feb. 1, they’ll have their work cut out for them if they are going to get the win. Houston trailed at the half in that game and needed a comeback in the second half to force OT, where they lost after a couple of late free throws.

The Cougars' defense gives up an average of 57.7 points per game but allowed Texas Tech to run up 41 in the first half. Since that game, the Houston defense has not allowed anyone to score more than 65 points; three were held to under 60 points. No one scored more than 37 in a half.

A lapse in defense nearly cost Houston their last game on Saturday vs. No. 8 Iowa State. The Cougars led by 12-points at the half, a lead they stretched out to 16 midway through the second. But an 18-3 run by the Cyclones cut the lead to one, 48-47, with plenty of time remaining.

A couple of L.J. Cryer jumpers stretched the lead back out to five points. But the Cougars were not able to pull away until late in the half.

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Texas Tech Preview

Of course, Texas Tech would love to do what they did, which led to a victory for the Red Raiders the last time these two teams played: hitting 12 of 30 three-pointers (40 percent). Houston has been holding teams to 32 percent this season. 

However, perhaps even more important than hitting their own three-point shots was limiting Houston’s. The Cougars have been shooting 40 percent from behind the arc this season. Texas Tech held them to 5-14 (35.7 percent).

Houston had been averaging 8.3 three-pointers and over 20 attempts per game.

While facing a team on a six-game winning streak is not easy, it may be even harder to face a team that has played like the Red Raiders over their last six games. They’ve gone 4-2 in those games, completely dominating in three of their wins (73-51, 93-55, and 73-59).

The other win was a 111-106 2OT victory over then-No. 20 Arizona. Both losses were on the road, one to TCU (69-66) and the other vs. then-No. 20 Arizona.

The Red Raiders last played on Saturday, when they dominated West Virginia at home 73-51. It was a close game at the half, 30-27. But Texas Tech took over in the second half, holding the Mountaineers to 24 points while putting up 43 points en route to a 22-point victory.

In the game, they held West Virginia to 22.2 percent from three-point range, hitting just six of 27 shots. They shot 40.9 percent from behind the arc themselves (9-22).

With four games to play and three games back, Texas Tech must win this game and its three remaining games, while Houston ends the season with four consecutive losses.

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Houston vs. Texas Tech My Pick

• Houston vs. Texas Tech Pick: Cougars ML at (-128) via FanDuel

These two scored 144 points in regulation the last time they met. But while I expect both defenses to play better in this game, it is hard to say whether they’ll play so well the UNDER is the way to go or the OVER.

Texas Tech is a solid team, and this should be a great game. But Houston has more to play for with a chance to take a big step towards locking down the conference regular season title.

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How to Watch Houston vs. Texas Tech on 2/24/25

• When: Monday, February 24 @ 9 p.m. ET

• Where: United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, TX.

• TV: ESPN