The Houston Cougars take on the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Houston is favored by 3.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -162. The total is set at 143.5 points.
Here’s my Houston vs. Baylor prediction and college basketball picks for January 10, 2026.
Houston vs Baylor Prediction
My Pick: Houston -3.5 (Play to -5)
My Houston vs Baylor best bet is on the Cougars to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Houston vs. Baylor Odds, Spread
| Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -102 | 143.5 -110o / -110u | -162 |
| Baylor Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -118 | 143.5 -110o / -110u | +136 |
- Houston vs Baylor spread: Houston -3.5
- Houston vs Baylor over/under: 143.5 points
- Houston vs Baylor moneyline: Houston -162, Baylor +136
Houston vs Baylor NCAAB Betting Preview
Houston Basketball
I can't think of another team I enjoy watching play defense as much as I enjoy watching Houston. This is also coming from a Duke fan who witnessed Houston destroy my happiness at the Final Four last season.
Houston is coming off a 69-65 win against Texas Tech, where it made Christian Anderson uncomfortable all game with its ability to blitz ball screens due to its athleticism.
Though only a freshman, Kingston Fleming showed time and time again that he has ice in his veins.
Fleming hit two go-ahead jumpers in the last two minutes and a dagger 3 with 30 seconds left that made it 66-62.
My X-factor in this game for Houston is Joseph Tugler, especially with what he does defensively.
I alluded to Houston blitzing Texas Tech's ball screens earlier and the Cougars have the best blitzing frontcourt in the country with Chris Cenac Jr. and Tugler.
Both bigs are proven to move their feet 30 feet away from the rim, especially Tugler, who has 14 steals in the last five games.
Baylor Basketball
Baylor made front-page news a couple of weeks ago when it announced the addition of James Nnaji. Nnaji, the former 2023 second-round pick of the Charlotte Hornets, has essentially been non-existent in his two games so far.
Nnaji is averaging 3.5 points per game in 16 minutes, and Baylor is 0-2 in those games.
The good news for Baylor is that it has one of the best players in the Big 12 in Cameron Carr. Carr averages almost 21 points per game and has had only one game this season in which he's scored less than 15 points.
If Baylor wants to pull off an upset, it'll need Tounde Yessoufou to live up to his potential.
This season, Yessoufou averages 18 points per game, but against two ranked teams, he averages 12.5 points on 9-of-30 shooting (30%) from the field.
Can Yessoufou step up when Houston does everything they can to slow down Carr?
Houston vs. Baylor Betting Analysis
I think this game will be a rock fight. Baylor has the 84th-best defense on KenPom, but that's in large part due to the fact that it was so bad in November.
In Baylor's last six games, no team has scored more than 70 points against it, so it'll be interesting to see how it matches up with Houston's guards.
Houston's defense is going to smother Baylor, and if the Cougars can get a bounce-back game from Milos Uzan — to go along with the production of Flemings and Emanuel Sharp — then I think Houston will roll.
My Pick: Houston -3.5 (Play to -5)
