It’s a big rivalry matchup tonight with no. 4 Houston basketball taking on no. 10 Texas Tech in Lubbock, as the Cougars look to get revenge from their overtime loss at home to the Red Raiders earlier this month. Keep reading for the Houston vs Texas Tech prediction.
Game information
Teams: Houston (23-4, 15-1 Big 12) and Texas Tech (21-6, 12-4 Big 12)
Tip-off: 8 p.m. CST
Watch: ESPN
Listen: KPRC 950
Latest on Texas Tech basketball:
The Red Raiders dropped one spot in the AP poll, but still stay in the top 10 after an upset loss on the road to unranked TCU 69-66 that came right down to the last play. Texas Tech is second in the Big 12 standings, tied with Arizona and need a win tonight to keep their regular season title hopes alive.
Tech has won three out of their last four games and are coming off a 73-51 victory over West Virginia at home where sophomore forward JT Toppin led the Red Raiders with 22 points and eight rebounds. Freshman guard Christian Anderson added 21 points and five threes along with 10 points and five assists from senior point guard Eligah Hawkins.
Toppin has been incredible for Texas Tech, including a stretch of back-to-back games where he put up 41 points and 15 rebounds in a win vs Arizona State followed up by 32 points and 12 rebounds in a win vs Oklahoma State. Houston did not have a chance to face Toppin much as he was ejected on a questionable flagrant two call four minutes into the last matchup.
This brings a new opponent UH will have to handle defensively, and Toppin will certainly want to let Houston know what he can do. Toppin leads Texas Tech with 17.3 PPG along with 9.1 RPG and just over one block. Senior guard Chance McMillian is second on the team with 15.1 PPG and junior forward Darrion Williams comes in next with 14.9 PPG.
Head coach Grant McCasland was also ejected in the previous matchup, but the energy and extra boost with those ejections played a part as the Red Raiders beat the Cougars 82-81 in OT at Fertitta Center the last time these two programs met up. That ended Houston’s 33-game home winning streak as well as their 18-game Big 12 winning streak.
Latest on Houston basketball:
The Cougars move up to no. 4 in the AP Poll after a couple Alabama losses and have won 19 out of their last 20 games. UH is coming off a 68-59 win over no. 9 Iowa State in the Fertitta Center with ESPN College GameDay covering them earlier that day. Graduate guard LJ Cryer put up a clutch performance of 28 points, his sixth 20-point game of the year and junior point guard Milos Uzan added 19 points.
Houston has had success on the road, having won their last 12 road conference games, the longest streak in Big 12 history and will look to make that 13 with a win in Lubbock. UH will also look to clinch a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a win. This is now possible as No. 25 BYU beat No. 22 Arizona a few days ago.
Overall, the Cougars lead the all-time series vs Texas Tech 31-28, however, the Red Raiders lead the series 14-8 in Lubbock with Tech winning the last five at home. This is the first time Houston is traveling to Texas Tech since 2003 and are looking for their first win on the Red Raiders home court since 1992.
Cryer mentioned how this game means a little more and how it doesn’t matter about the quick turnaround as they’ll be ready to play.
“It’s a get back game, so we just gotta go out there and do what we do,” Cryer said.
Houston vs Texas Tech prediction: Cougars by 1
Tech is the only Big 12 team to beat Houston and presents a very formidable matchup with two teams whose effort and fight stand out and mirror each other. It’s a very tough road environment, but the Cougars will have an extra edge and get their revenge from earlier this month in a tight, incredible game.
[…] the Red Raiders beat Houston in Fertitta Center on Feb. 1, head coach Grant McCasland and sophomore forward JT Toppin took a […]