Houston vs. Kansas Predictions, Odds and Picks - Feb. 3 | College Basketball Season 2023-24

Two top-10 teams meet Saturday in a game with conference and national implications as No. 4 Houston (19-2, 6-2) travels to No. 8 Kansas (17-4, 5-3).

Coach Kelvin Sampson's Houston Cougars are playing particularly stingy defense and will look to remain atop the Big 12 standings. Kansas has only finished outside first place twice since 2004 but could fall into the middle of the league pack with a loss.

Houston has won five in a row since back-to-back losses to Iowa State and TCU by a combined five points. Houston allows only 52.9 points per game, the lowest total in the nation. Opponents also shot just 35.5% against the Cougars, also the nation's top ranking in that defensive stat.

The team also averages a +8.0 rebounding margin over opponents and forces 7.3 turnovers per game, more than it commits. Senior guard LJ Cryer (15.1 ppg) is the leading scorer.

Coach Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks have struggled lately, losing two of their last four games and three of the last seven. The Jayhawks do hold the nation's fourth-best shooting percentage at 50.9%. Kansas leads the nation in assists, averaging 20.7 per game, which indicates the exceptional offensive chemistry on the team.

Seniors Kevin McCullar (19.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Hunter Dickinson (18.7 ppg, 11.2 rpg) might be the best outside-inside tandem in college basketball.

Kansas guard Kevin McCullar sat out last game due to a knee injury, but is expected to return against Houston.

Houston vs. Kansas: Betting Odds

Houston is a 2.5-point road favorite. The game has an over/under of 133.5.

Houston vs. Kansas: Head-to-Head

With Houston being new to the Big 12, there's not a ton of history here. Kansas leads the all-time series 5-2. The last meeting between the teams was in the 2001 Maui Invitational, which Kansas won 95-78. The last Houston win over Kansas was in 1983 with the Phi Slamma Jamma Cougars, including Hakeem (then known as Akeem) Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

Houston vs. Kansas: Where to watch

Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN, with Jon Sciambi on play-by-play and Fran Fraschilla as analyst. Streaming options include FUBO and Sling. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 PM EST/1 PM PST.

Houston vs. Kansas: Key injuries

Houston

Sophomore guard Terrance Arcenaux is out for the season due to a torn Achilles. Arcenaux averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game before the December injury.

Kansas

Leading scorer Kevin McCullar sat out Kansas's last game, an 83-54 win over Oklahoma State, due to a bruised knee. The move was largely precautionary, and Bill Self has indicated that he expects McCullar to be ready against Houston. Kansas forward Hunter Dickinson has also battled nagging injuries to his lower body, but should be on the court Saturday.

Houston vs. Kansas: Best picks and prediction

This is a tough game to call, with no recent history to cite and a matchup of wildly differing styles. Houston likes low-scoring grinders, while Kansas prefers to play fast and loose. Allen Fieldhouse might be a surprise for Houston, as it is one of the more intense and intimate atmospheres in college basketball. McCullar's status figures to be key, but all things being equal, the hotter team seems like the better pick.

Pick: Houston (-2.5)