Houston vs BYU Picks & Predictions on Feb 7

• #8 Houston is a 1.5-point favorite over #16 BYU in Big 12 hoops action tonight
• Houston is 17-1 in its last 18 conference road games
• See my Houston vs BYU picks and predictions on Feb 7, below

It’s a battle of the Cougars tonight in Utah, as #8 Houston (20-2, 8-1 Big 12) visits #16 BYU (17-5, 5-4 Big 12). Houston enters play in peak form looking for their 15th win in their last 16 games. Online sportsbooks are siding with them as short road favorites in the latest college basketball odds, but I think you can make a pretty compelling case they should be favored by a few points more.

The action gets underway at 7:30 pm PT, 10:30 pm ET from the Marriott Center, in Provo, UT, with ESPN providing the broadcast coverage.

Here are my Houston vs BYU picks and predictions on Feb 7, below.

Houston vs BYU Picks and Predictions

ATS Pick: Houston -1.5 (-105 at DraftKings)

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I’m taking Houston -1.5 tonight against the spread, and would be comfortable playing some alt spreads in hunt of a bigger payout. Houston is always one of the premier defenses in the nation, but since the start of the calendar year their offense has been on fire. Kelvin Sampson’s crew ranks second in offensive efficiency since Jan 1st, while also posting a top-10 defensive rating.

With just over a month before March Madness, they have the look of a serious NCAA Tournament champion odds contender, led by a trio of quality scorers. Freshman Kingston Flemings is averaging 17 points a game on 52% shooting, while Emanuel Sharp is an assassin from behind the arc shooting 36%. After a slow start Milos Uzan also has it rolling, scoring in double-figures in five of his last six starts.

That spells trouble for a BYU squad that’s been awful on defense recently. BYU enters play losers of four of their past five, yielding 80+ points in three straight.

Key Statistical Metrics: Houston vs BYU

At the other end of the floor, BYU ranks top-11 in offensive efficiency, but we can expect their productivity to take a serious dip against Houston. Last year’s March Madness runner-up suffocates everyone that steps in front of them, holding enemy shooters to 39% from the field, and just 61 points per game. 13 of their 22 opponents have failed to clear 60 points, including five of their nine conference foes.

BYU does feature AJ Dybantsa, a future lottery pick and the top scorer in the country, but the depth behind him is lacking. Dybantsa shot just 6-of-24 from the field against #1 Arizona a few games ago, as he struggled with the Wildcats length. Houston will try to defend him in a similar fashion, and certainly have the bodies to handle the assignment.

The icing on the cake for me is Houston’s prowess on the road. They’ve lost just once away from home in their last 18 conference games, and have won five of their past six contests at BYU. Houston is 5-1 ATS in those outings, and I expect them to improve upon that record tonight.

Team-Total Pick: Houston Over 75.5 Points (-115 at DraftKings)

In addition to playing Houston against the spread, I also think they’re a great bet to exceed their team total of 75.5 points. That’s a number they’ve cleared in seven straight conference games, plenty of which were versus better defenses than BYU’s.

Houston typically likes to grind games down to a halt, but a few extra possessions could be in store for them tonight. BYU plays at one of the fastest paces in the Big 12, ranking 27th in field goal attempts nationwide.

One of the consequences of playing so fast is that they get can get sloppy with the ball, which is why their turnover stats (11 per game) are so high. That’s a dangerous way to live versus a team like Houston, who excels at taking the ball away and can turn those giveaways into easy offense.