Big 12 Championship, Arizona vs Houston: Odds & Best Bets (3/15)

The Houston Cougars and Arizona Wildcats compete for the Big 12 Championship tonight. The top seeded Cougars are in their 2nd straight Big 12 Championship in just two years, while the Wildcats made the final in their first year as a member. It’s a new era in the Big 12, as teams like Iowa State, Kansas and Baylor finished 5th thru 7th in the conference, with Houston, Arizona and BYU taking three of the top four spots.

Tonight, Arizona and Houston battle for the title.

These teams played in Tucson on February 15th. The Cougars came out on top after holding their hosts to under 60, something only three other teams did this season. It’s no surprise because Houston is the best defense in the country, but tonight they will be without forward J’Wan Roberts. He averages 10.8 points and 6.3 assists, and Kelvin Sampson did say he would play if it were an NCAA Tournament game. Just a precaution, but he will certainly be missed on the court.

Does this open the door for Caleb Love and Arizona to pull off an upset?

Arizona Wildcats vs Houston Cougars: Big 12 Championship

Matchup Information – Arizona vs Houston

• Venue & Location: T-Mobile Center (Kansas City, MO)
• Date: Saturday, March 15th, 2025
• Tip Off: 6:00pm Eastern
• Broadcast: ESPN

Betting Odds

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Spread

• Arizona +6 (-110)
• Houston -6 (-110)

Money Line

• Arizona +240
• Houston -285

Total

• Over 137 (-110)
• Under 137 (-110)

Love, Arizona Look for Big 12 Championship in First Year

Arizona will have revenge on their mind, and of course they are playing to improve their seeding. On the other hand, Houston probably has a one seed wrapped up, but they lost this game last year to the Iowa State Cyclones. Some would call it a “Welcome to the Conference” moment, as Houston couldn’t claim the title in the first year after winning the regular season.

Now Houston has the chance to give that same moment to the Wildcats in their first year in the Big 12, as the Cougars are in a bit of a “redemption spot” after last year’s championship loss.

The Wildcats already score 82.3 points per game, ranking Top 20 in the nation, but in their last four games they’ve put up 90.75. They’ve scored 88 and 86 so far in this tournament, but now they face the number one scoring defense. The Cougars have held some incredible offenses to very minimal points, but I’ll admit the loss of J’Wan Roberts hurts.

Because of this, I see Houston relying much more on their guards in this game. Joseph Tugler and Ja’Vier Francis will need to step up, but obviously it’s going to take the whole squad. The Wildcats will want to turn this into a shootout, and I’ll be backing a Houston shooter to redeem himself after a bad outing the first time.

Arizona Wildcats vs Houston Cougars Best Bets

Arizona vs Houston Prediction: Houston Wins & Covers, Over 135

Best Bets: Emanuel Sharp Over 2.5 Threes (+130) BetOnline

All we need is 3 threes. That’s nothing for this guy. He’s a volume shooter from downtown, as I’ll demonstrate here shortly, and he did not perform well in the first meeting. Without Roberts, the Cougars will need their backcourt to step up, and I think Sharp can do so from deep.

He shoots over 43% from deep already this season, and while he is much better at home, he has played two games in this arena this season and is perfectly fine. Last night he went 5/7 against BYU, and the night before shot 4/7 from deep against Colorado. He is 13/23 from the field this tournament while shooting 9/16 from deep. Nearly 70% of his shots come from beyond the arc, and the last time he played Arizona he was 0/6 from downtown, with only those six shots.

Sharp ended the regular season on a bit of a slump, hitting just one three in his final three regular season games. However, he has cleared 3+ threes in 14/30 games this year, including 10/11 games with at least 7 3PA. Last year in this arena he shot 7/20 in three games, and he’s been even better a second time around.

Sharp is shooting well, he clearly has the green light from Sampson to let it fly, and I think he helps his team lift the trophy tonight.

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