Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 2/4/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Houston Cougars

Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Houston Cougars (17-4) are welcoming the Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-10) at Fertitta Center on Tuesday.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys faced Utah and walked away with a win by a score of 81-72 in their last game. Oklahoma State ended with a 48.9% FG percentage (23 out of 47) and made 8 of their 20 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Cowboys made 27 of 36 tries for a percentage of 75.0%. With regard to rebounding, they compiled 29 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 13 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and having 8 steals. When it comes to the defense, Oklahoma State allowed the other team to shoot 40.0% from the floor on 22 of 55 shooting. Utah recorded 13 assists and had 5 steals in this game. Moreover, Utah totaled 27 boards (10 offensive, 17 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Utah finished shooting 70.0% from the free throw line by making 21 of their 30 attempts. They made 7 out of their 28 attempts from three-point range. When it comes to personal fouls, the Cowboys ended up finishing with 25 and Utah totaled 28 personal fouls.

Bryce Thompson is one guy who came through in the matchup. He accounted for 20 points on 6 out of 10 shooting. He was on the court for 31 mins and also totaled 7 boards. He finished 60.0% from the floor and also distributed 2 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Expert Picks

Oklahoma State enters this game with a record of 11-10 for the campaign. They currently have an average of 72.8 pts per game (228th in Division 1) while hitting 42.6% from the floor. The Cowboys are connecting on 32.9% from downtown (138 of 419) and 72.4% from the free throw line. As a unit, Oklahoma State is grabbing 35.5 boards per game and has totaled 260 dimes so far this year, which is 316th in the country in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.6 times per contest and as a team are committing 19.7 personal fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Cowboys are forcing 14.6 turnovers every game while drawing 19.5 personal fouls. They relinquish 35.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 273rd in college hoops in points per game allowed (74.8). The Cowboys defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 47.2% (546 of 1,156) and they relinquish 32.0 boards per contest as a team. They rank 196th in college in giving up assists with 294 relinquished so far this year.

In their last game, the Houston Cougars walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 82-81 against Texas Tech. The Cougars collected 19 defensive boards and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 in this matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while getting 9 steals for the matchup. Texas Tech was called for 20 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Cougars to the charity stripe for 27 shots. They were able to make 18 of the free throw tries for a clip of 66.7%. When talking about 3-pointers, Houston knocked down 5 of their 14 attempts (35.7%). Overall, the Cougars went 29 out of 64 from the field which had them sitting at 45.3%. The Cougars permitted Texas Tech to make 23 out of their 54 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.6% in this game. They finished the game shooting 40.0% from three-point range by going 12 out of 30 and finished the contest at 24 of 34 from the free throw line (70.6%). In regard to team rebounding, Houston allowed Texas Tech to get 29 in total (9 on the offensive glass).

LJ Cryer was important for the Cougars in the matchup. He scored 22 points in his 44 mins on the court and added 2 assists in the matchup. He knocked down 7 of 14 in this game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and earned 4 rebounds.

Houston has a win-loss mark of 17-4 for the season. As an offense, the Cougars are connecting on 46.0% from the field, which is 119th in Division 1. Houston has totaled 1,601 pts so far this year (76.2 per contest) and they average 38.0 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.0 times per contest (240th in college) and they cough up possession 9.1 times per contest. The Cougars are responsible for committing 16.9 personal fouls per game and they shoot 72.3% from the free throw line.

The Houston defense concedes 30.5% on shots from 3-point land (144 of 472) and their opponents are making 66.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 10.4 dimes and 31.9 total boards per game, which ranks 22nd and 45th in the country. The Cougars on the defensive side of the court are 1st in D-1 in points given up per game with 56.6. They are able to force 14.6 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 36.7% from the floor (4th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Oklahoma State

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here