The No. 7 ranked Houston Cougars welcome the West Virginia Mountaineers to the Fertitta Center on Tuesday night.
Both teams are coming off big wins but my West Virginia vs. Houston predictions are fading the Mountaineers in a let-down spot.
Here are my best free college basketball picks for his Big 12 showdown on January 13.
West Virginia vs Houston prediction
West Virginia vs Houston best bet: Houston -13.5 (-110)
With the total sitting at just 128.5, this is a massive spread between conference foes. That said, the 15-1 Houston Cougars are looking like title contenders. They are fresh off a 22-point win at Baylor to improve to 8-0 SU and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games.
This team is only getting better with five-star freshmen Kingston Flemings (15.1 ppg, 5.7 apg) and Chris Cenac (9.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg) improving every week. They form an elite starting lineup alongside experienced stars Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan, and JoJo Tugler.
The West Virginia Mountaineers are in a letdown spot after upsetting Kansas 86-75 in a game where they had just eight turnovers and shot 42% from deep. They won't replicate that against Houston who is fifth in the nation in opponent TO rate and holds foes to 29.7 three-point percentage.
The Cougars dominate the offensive glass and rarely turn the ball over, leading to 10.4 extra scoring chances per game — easily the best number in Division 1.
Meanwhile, the Mountaineers are averaging -6.7 extra scoring chances per game over their last three contests. That includes a 21-point loss to Iowa State who does a lot of the same things that Houston does.
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West Virginia vs Houston same-game parlay
Both of these schools play at an extremely slow pace with Houston 355th in the country in adjusted tempo and West Virginia 359th.
That will lead to fewer available rebounds for Flemings and WVU wing Treysen Eaglestaff. Flemings has gone below 3.5 rebounds in seven of his last eight games while Eaglestaff has logged fewer than 4.5 boards in five of his last seven.
West Virginia vs Houston SGP
- Houston -13.5
- Kingston Flemings Under 3.5 rebounds
- Treysen Eaglestaff Under 4.5 rebounds
Our beyond the arc SGP: Flemings hot from beyond the arc
Flemings went 0-3 from deep against Baylor but he still shoots a sizzling 40% from the arc and WVU is 229th in the country in three-point defense (35%).
West Virginia vs Houston SGP
- Houston -13.5
- Kingston Flemings Under 3.5 rebounds
- Treysen Eaglestaff Under 4.5 rebounds
- Kingston Flemings Over 1.5 threes
West Virginia vs Houston odds
- Spread: West Virginia +13.5 | Houston -13.5
- Moneyline: West Virginia +650 | Houston -1000
- Over/Under: Over 128.5 | Under 128.5
West Virginia vs Houston betting trend to know
The Under has cashed in 22 of West Virginia's last 33 games (+9.90 Units / 27% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for West Virginia vs. Houston.
How to watch West Virginia vs Houston
| Location | Feritta Center, Houston, TX |
| Date | Tuesday, January 13, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 8:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | FS1 |
West Virginia vs Houston key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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