Texas Tech vs. Houston Expert Pick and Prediction – February 1, 2025

TEXAS TECH VS. HOUSTON EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTION – February 1, 2025 — Texas Tech is playing with house money in this game. The Red Raiders have absolutely nothing to lose here, given that Houston has been blowing everyone off the map. The Cougars sit 9-0 in the Big 12, and they’re likely to land a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Cougars picked the wrong year to do that, given that the closest sites to them are Wichita and Atlanta, but they’d still get the path that a No. 1 provides. Most of their toughest games are at home, so if someone’s going to take the crown from them, they’re going to have to win in the Fertitta Center.

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Texas Tech has a chance to be that team. The Red Raiders were never going to be a major reclamation project, given that Mark Adams was fired for personal conduct rather than on-court results. Indeed, Grant McCasland stepped into a good situation in Lubbock and kept the wins coming. In his second season, McCasland has the Red Raiders sitting 7-2 in the league and right in the logjam of teams in third place.

Texas Tech has only fallen to Central Florida and Iowa State, which has the Red Raiders sitting comfortably in the second tier of tournament teams. Getting into the higher tier will require a big Quad 1 win, and this is the best opportunity on the board. If the Red Raiders can stay patient, they have a chance.

The Odds

Tipoff

When: Saturday, February 1 at 6 p.m.

Where: Fertitta Center, Houston

TV: ESPN2

Public Bets: Unavailable

Public Money: Unavailable

Texas Tech vs. Houston In-Season Trends

Houston showed last year that the gap was very wide between itself and its former Southwest Conference rival. The Cougars smashed the Red Raiders twice, winning by 23 points each time. Houston has won four straight against Texas Tech, although two of those matchups came while the teams were in different conferences. However, given that Houston was in the lesser league, that just makes their wins more impressive.

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Texas Tech remains slow-paced under McCasland, but not to the extent that it was under Adams or Chris Beard. That’s reflected in the Red Raiders going under in five of their past seven games. They can speed it up when forced (Iowa State), but they would rather play the slowdown game more often than not.

The Difference-Makers

With five blocked shots against Kansas, Joseph Tugler can make himself a force down low. Texas Tech wants to try to get the ball inside, and Tugler’s presence could disrupt the Red Raiders’ attempts to beat the Cougar defense.

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J.T. Toppin is coming off 18 points and 14 rebounds against TCU, and he’s recorded a double-double in two of his past four games. Texas Tech really needs a big performance from him in the low post.

The Pick

Houston has the potential to frustrate just about anyone in the country. Texas Tech still hasn’t yet shown that it’s on this level, and it certainly hasn’t done it on the road. The Red Raiders still have work to do to prove themselves as an upper echelon squad, and they don’t have the 3-point defense to stop Houston’s shooters.

The Red Raiders should stick close for a while, but the Cougars are too strong.