BYU Cougars vs Houston Prediction & Picks - NCAA Men

Prediction published on 3/14/25, 12:00 PM  by Travis Pulver | Modified on 3/14/25 at 12:04 PM in NCAA Men Picks

The Big 12 Tournament Semifinals get underway tonight at 7 p.m. ET when the No. 17 BYU Cougars (24-8, 14-6 ) take on the No. 2 Houston Cougars (28-4, 19-1). Fans can find coverage of this battle between ranked teams via ESPN2 and ESPN+.

BYU came into the Big 12 Tournament on a roll, having won their last eight regular season games, including wins over three ranked teams (vs. No. 23 Kansas, No.19 Arizona, and No. 10 Iowa State in 2OT). Another win over Iowa State in the quarterfinal (96-92) round extended their win streak to nine. The Cyclones did not have two players available for the game, Keshon Gilbert (13.4 points per game) and Tamin Lipsey (10.8 points per game). BYU set a Tournament record with 18 three-pointers.  However, it may not be as easy to hit so many against a tough Houston defense. Iowa’s perimeter defense is middle of the pack in the Big 12, while Houston ranks fourth.

Of course, it would help if the Cougars could light it up from deep against Houston. The Cougars have the top three-point percentage in the Big 11 (BYU’s is third). However, while Houston may be the most accurate, BYU ranks No. 1 in the conference in three-point attempts per game and made threes (10.8).