Houston Cougars vs Kansas State Wildcats Prediction, 1/11/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Cougars vs Kansas State Wildcats

Date: Saturday, January 11, 2025

Location: Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS

TV: ESPN+

Bramlage Coliseum is where the Kansas State Wildcats (7-7) will attempt to defeat the Houston Cougars (11-3) on Saturday.

The Houston Cougars stepped onto the hardwood against TCU and went home with a win by a final score of 65-46 in their last game. Houston wrapped up the contest having earned a 48.1% FG percentage (26 out of 54) and made 8 out of their 19 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Cougars buried 5 of 9 attempts for a percentage of 55.6%. With respect to pulling down boards, they compiled a total of 28 with 11 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 14 dimes for the contest while forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and earning 11 steals. In the matter of the defense, Houston allowed the other team to go 42.6% from the floor on 20 out of 47 shooting. TCU earned 4 assists and had 4 steals in this contest. On top of that, TCU snagged 23 rebounds (6 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a block. TCU finished the game at 42.9% at the charity stripe by making 3 of their 7 attempts. They also buried 3 out of their 18 shots from three-point range. In the matter of fouls, the Cougars finished with 14 while TCU finished the game with 11 fouls.

Emanuel Sharp is a guy who was a contributor for the game. He left the arena with 14 points on 5 out of 9 shooting. He played for 26 mins and snagged 2 boards. He went 55.6% from the field but had no assists when the game ended.

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Houston heads into this matchup with a record of 11-3 on the season. They average 76.4 points per game (152nd in the country) while hitting 45.8% from the floor. The Cougars are hitting 41.4% on three-point attempts (128 of 309) and 74.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Houston is collecting 38.1 rebounds per contest and has totaled 191 dimes so far this season, which is 276th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 9.7 times per game and as a squad are committing 16.9 personal fouls per contest.

On defense, the Cougars are able to force 14.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.7 personal fouls. They rank 7th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 134 relinquished on the year. The Cougars defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 34.3% (246 of 717) and they surrender 32.1 rebounds per game as a group. They are giving up 28.2% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 1st in college in PPG allowed (54.0).

The last time they took the court, the Kansas State Wildcats went home defeated by a final of 79-66 when they faced Oklahoma State. The Wildcats were able to pull down 21 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 for this game. They also coughed it up 17 times, while getting 9 steals for this game. Oklahoma State was called for 19 fouls for this contest which got the Wildcats to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They were able to convert 15 of those for a percentage of 75.0%. Pertaining to three-point attempts, Kansas State knocked down 3 out of 14 tries (21.4%). When all was said and done, the Wildcats went 24 out of 47 from the floor which had them shooting 51.1%. The Wildcats allowed Oklahoma State to bury 28 of 59 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 47.5% in the game. They went 42.9% from three-point range by shooting 9 out of 21 and ended up going 14 of 18 at the free throw line (77.8%). In the matter of how they rebounded, Kansas State permitted Oklahoma State to get 28 overall (10 offensive).

Coleman Hawkins was important for the Wildcats for this game. He racked up 18 points in his 32 mins of playing time and had 2 dimes in the game. He made 7 of 13 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 53.8%, and tallied 5 rebounds.

Kansas State has a win-loss record of 7-7 on the season. The Wildcats have committed 15.1 personal fouls per game and they shoot 67.3% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 16.6 times per game (55th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.8 times per contest. Kansas State has scored 1,057 pts so far this season (75.5 per game) and they grab 35.6 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Wildcats are shooting 45.8% from the field, which is ranked 151st in college.

The Kansas State defense concedes 35.7% on shots from behind the 3-point line (99 of 277) and opponents are making 75.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 13.1 dimes and 33.8 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 189th and 149th in the nation. The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 163rd in the nation in PPG given up with 70.7. They are forcing 13.1 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 43.6% from the floor (208th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Houston

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