Houston Will Take Down Kansas On The Road

Houston vs. Kansas, 6:30 ET

There are just two games today that are between ranked teams in college hoops and this is one of them. That doesn't mean they are the only ranked team that plays today, and I'm certain there will be some ranked teams that tumble today outside of one of the two in this game. I mentioned on Geoff Clark's Outkick Bets podcast that I tend to gravitate more toward the ranked matchups. I think they generate a lot of public interest and that the lines tend to be off a bit as the public will focus on the better ranked number. It doesn't always work, but lets see how to bet this game between Houston and Kansas. 

Houston comes into this game with a 15-3 record and an unblemished 7-0 conference record. They have put together a strong campaign this season. They were ranked higher earlier in the season, but the three losses have dropped him only slightly. The three losses were against Auburn in just the second game of the season, this was on a neutral court. They played well enough in the game, dropping by five points, and we've seen Auburn become the best team in the nation. The other two losses came against Alabama and San Diego State. Both of those also came on a neutral court and they were during the Thanksgiving tournament. To their credit, both of the losses came in overtime, and they've never lost a game this season by more than five points. They've reeled off 11 straight wins since then, but haven't really faced anyone overly difficult. None of the opponents have been ranked, and only one of the games was a true battle as they have won 10 of those games by at least 10 points. The team has been able to find a lot of different scorers for them, but they have two clear leaders in L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp who both are averaging 13.8 points per game. 

Kansas Jayhawks guard Zeke Mayo (5) drive the ball around center Hunter Dickinson (1) in the second half of the Sunflower Showdown game against the Kansas State Wildcats inside Allen Fieldhouse Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.

Kansas is a team that I've covered quite a few times to this point in the year. They are a talented, but flawed team which shouldn't be much of a surprise as we see them with a 14-4 record and a 5-2 conference record. They've had some impressive wins, and a couple of questionable losses. They beat Duke on a neutral court and beat North Carolina and Michigan State earlier in the season. Neither of the last two teams are amazing, but they are talented teams. Their losses came against Creighton and Missouri, both on the road, so not a shock, but still bad losses as they are better than both of those teams. They also had a one-point home loss against West Virginia on New Year's Eve, so maybe they just weren't focused. Their other loss came a week ago as they fell on the road to #2 Iowa State. Being at home for this one does make them a bit better, but with them being prone to lapses, I am a bit worried that they can't get a win here. 

I'm not overly impressed with Kansas's shooting from deep. Hunter Dickinson, their center, might be the true edge they have in this game, but he has also shown that he isn't always that consistent or dominant. I kind of look at him as a backup center in the NBA. The Kansas guards will have a tough time facing the Houston guards, not just from an offensive standpoint, but they are probably going to struggle on defense too. I like the Cougars to cover this one. It is possible they fall on the road, but I think they can get this one against an inconsistent Kansas team. 

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