The Houston Cougars and the Arizona Wildcats continue Big 12 Conference men’s basketball action on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Tucson, Ariz.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. central. Houston (20-4, 12-1 in Big 12) is ranked No. 6 in the AP Top 25 while the Wildcats (17-7, 11-2) are No. 13.
Had Arizona not lost to Kansas State earlier this week, this game would have been for first place in the Big 12. Arizona can force a first-place tie with a victory. Houston can open up a two-game lead on the rest of the field as it attempts to defend its regular-season conference title from a season ago.
Here is a preview of Saturday’s game.
How to Watch Houston vs. Arizona
Date: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025
Time: 1 p.m. CT
TV Channel: ESPN
Site: McKale Memorial Center, Tucson, Ariz.
Houston vs. Arizona Betting Odds, Lines
Opening Line: Houston -1
Current Line: Houston -1.5 or -2
Over/Under: 137.5
Houston vs. Arizona Predictions
Houston is back to winning games after its overtime loss to Texas Tech two Saturdays ago. But the Cougars are being a bit more challenged. In their last three wins, their margin of victory was an average of 10 points. Before the loss, their Big 12 margin of victory was more than 20 points.
Some of that is the obvious grind of a 20-game slate. Some of that is some teams having finally gelled into a unit that can give Houston a more formidable game.
Knock on wood, Houston is healthy, aside from an ankle issue with guard Emanuel Sharp. He missed a game earlier this year, has been in and out of a walking boot to facilitate recovery and is playing limited minutes. He saw an uptick in usage against Baylor (25 minutes) and one must figure he’ll see a little more time against Arizona.
This could be a go-off game for Sharp and L.J. Cryer, if Arizona’s defense doesn’t extend out to the arc. Both shoot better than 40% from the 3-point line.
Kansas State snapped Arizona’s six-game winning streak. Arizona’s ability to match up inside with Houston forward J’Wan Roberts is a matchup worth watching. The Wildcats will use some combination of Henri Veesaar and Tobe Awaka on defense. Veesaar is a better scoring threat and Awaka is a more productive rebounder. How the pair handle Roberts on defense is the real question.
Wildcats guard Caleb Love is coming off a six-point game against K-State and has seen his scoring go down each of the last three games, since he dropped 27 points against Arizona State. The Wildcats need him to play like it’s a rivalry game.
With six games left after the weekend, this is either Houston’s chance to take control of the race for the Big 12 Tournament’s No. 1 seed or Arizona’s chance to inject some chaos into the final three weeks of the regular season.
Houston 76, Arizona 73
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Houston (58.3% Chance of Winning)
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
