Houston basketball looks to bounce back at home vs Butler in the Big 12-Big East Challenge after a disappointing Player’s Era Tournament in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving where the Cougars lost two out of three. Read more for our full Houston vs Butler prediction and preview.
General information:
Teams: Houston (4-3) and Butler (7-1)
Tip-off: 4:30 p.m. CST
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: KPRC 950
Latest on Butler basketball:
The Bulldogs enter with a 7-1 record, winners of all their games after the season opener. Butler is coming off of a 73-58 win at home vs Eastern Illinois. Fifth-year forward Jahmyl Telfort leads the Bulldogs with almost 18 PPG. Head coach Thad Matta is in his fourth season at Butler and 20th collegiate year overall. While Matta has won his only game vs Houston, that was before his Butler tenure. Matta is 1-2 vs Kelvin Sampson during their career, but Saturday will be the first time Matta will face Sampson at Houston.
The Cougars and Bulldogs have only faced each other once, with UH winning the lone matchup 70-52 back in the Jim Maui Invitational in Nov. 2021 in Vegas.
“This is a really difficult matchup for us,” coach Sampson said. “Butler is very capable of coming here and beating us if we don’t get more consistent.”
Latest on Houston basketball:
This is the lone matchup this week for the Cougars, who are looking to get back on track after a 1-2 record during the Player’s Era Tournament with losses to #10 Alabama and #24 San Diego State in overtime. Houston dropped 11 places in the AP poll because of these results from #6 down to #17. This ended the school record of 44 straight weeks in the top 10, but it marked the 90th straight week Houston was ranked, the nation’s longest active streak and extending the school record.
“I think we have a defensive identity, we just have to be consistent with it,” Sampson said. “We’ve got to get better at details and be more consistent in not making those detailed mistakes. When we do that, we’ll start winning.”
Houston has won their last six games as the #17 team. Guards LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp have been leading Houston on offense, each with over 14 PPG. The Cougars will have a boost as they are back with home-court advantage. UH has won 25 straight games in Fertitta Center, which ties UConn and Drake for the longest in the nation.
Houston vs Butler prediction: Houston wins by 15 (70-55)
Houston is back in the friendly confines of Fertitta Center, and will have a huge bounce-back game. Butler will keep this a good game, but the Cougars break away in the second half for a much needed win.
“I think we’re a good team that’s going to improve as the year goes on, I really do believe that,” Sampson said.