West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Houston Cougars Picks, Prediction, Odds and Line Movement for Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Use Code WWWC It’s a Big 12 contest on the hardwood as the West Virginia Mountaineers travel to the Lone Star State to clash with the #7 Houston Cougars Tuesday night and we have you covered with our West Virginia vs. Houston prediction. West Virginia comes in off an 86-75 home win over #22 Kansas in their previous game Saturday afternoon, winning outright as a 2.5-point underdog. Houston rolled Baylor 77-55 on the road in their previous game Saturday night, covering the line as a 2.5-point favorite. In the all-time series between the schools, Houston has won all three previous meetings, including a 63-49 road win in the most recent matchup January 29, 2025. Read more about this West Virginia vs. Houston prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
West Virginia Looking for Another Upset Win
West Virginia won their second straight as they upended #22 Kansas at home Saturday afternoon in their previous contest. The Mountaineers improved to 11-5 overall and stand 2-1 in Big 12 play on the year. Against Kansas, West Virginia was in a tight game for the first half, trailing 43-39 at intermission. The Mountaineers trailed 59-51 with 14:55 remaining before going on a 22-2 run to take a 73-61 lead with 5:37 to go and went on to the win. West Virginia shot 48.2% from the field, including 11 of 26 from three-point range, and owned a 38-32 advantage on the glass. Honor Huff led the Mountaineers with 23 points and seven rebounds in the win.
The Mountaineers come into this contest averaging 74.8 points per game on the season, putting them 238th in the nation in scoring offense. West Virginia is below average on the glass as they pull down 36.3 boards a night while they hand out an average of 13.7 assists a night. The Mountaineers are giving up an average of 62.3 points per contest on the year, which puts them 6th in the country in scoring defense. Honor Huff leads the team and is one of three players averaging in double figures with 17.5 points per game. Chance Moore (12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds) and Brenen Lorient (10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds) are solid secondary options. Treysen Eaglestaff, Jasper Floyd, DJ Thomas, Harlan Obioha, Amir Jenkins, Jackson Fields and Morris Ugusuk are key components of Ross Hodge’s rotation. West Virginia is shooting 45.5% from the field as a team on the year. The Mountaineers are knocking down 8.8 three-pointers a night while they hit 36.6% from beyond the arc this season. West Virginia has connected on just 69.1% of their attempts at the charity stripe this season, putting them 277th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for West Virginia:
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- No Key Injuries
Cougars Shoot to Roar to 10th Straight Win
Houston ran their win streak to nine games as they trounced Baylor on the road Saturday. The Cougars improved to 15-1 overall on the year and look to carry that momentum with them as they stand 3-0 in Big 12 play. Against Baylor, Houston trailed by eight with 15:10 to go in the opening half before responding with a 16-1 lead to go up 22-17. The Cougars were up 33-26 at the half and didn’t let the Bears closer than that the rest of the way. Houston shot 39.2% from the field, including 11 of 39 from three-point range, and controlled the glass by a 45-34 margin. Emanuel Sharp led the Cougars with 17 points in the win.
On the year, the Cougars are 174th in the nation in scoring offense with an average of 77.3 points per game. Houston collects an average of 38.3 rebounds (96th) per contest while they dish out an average of 15.7 assists a night. The Cougars are 2nd in the nation in scoring defense as they allow an average of 60 points per game. Emanuel Sharp leads the team with 16.1 points plus three rebounds a night this season. Kingston Flemings (15.7 points, 5.1 assists), Joseph Tugler (8.3 points, 5.8 boards) and Milos Uzan (10.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists) are solid scoring options. Chris Cenac Jr., Chase McCarty, Isiah Harwell, Mercy Miller, Kalifa Sakho, Ramon Walker Jr., Kordel Jefferson and Cedric Lath are all key players for coach Kelvin Sampson. Houston shoots 44.3% from the floor as a team this season. The Cougars connect on 8.9 three-pointers per contest while they are shooting 33.6% from beyond the arc as a team, which is 212th in Division I. Houston has been above average at the charity stripe, cashing in 75.6% of their attempts on the year, which is 70th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Houston:
- No Key Injuries
West Virginia vs. Houston Pick
West Virginia vs. Houston Spread Pick
- West Virginia +13.5 (4 units)
On Saturday, I backed the Mountaineers even though Kansas was a ranked squad and it paid dividends. Now, dealing with Houston is a different ball of wax when it comes to things as we know how difficult the Cougars make things for opposing teams offensively. With that said, the Mountaineers are a stingy defensive squad themselves and are something of a mirror image of the Cougars. Houston is a perfect 8-0 at home and they should win this game straight up. With that said, however, in a game where points are likely at a premium, take the visitors and the points here.
West Virginia vs. Houston Over/Under Pick
- Under 129.5 (4 units)
West Virginia has seen the under post a 9-7 mark in their 18 games on the year. The Mountaineers are 6th in the nation in scoring defense, 55th in defensive efficiency, 35th in effective field goal percentage defense (46.7%), 86th in forced turnover percentage (19%), 44th in field goal percentage defense (40.2%), 9th in two-point defense (43.5%) and 34th in allowed offensive rebounding percentage (26.4%) this season. West Virginia is 359th in tempo with 63.2 possessions a game. Houston has seen the under post a 9-7 mark in their 16 games this season entering this contest. The Cougars are sixth in defensive efficiency, 18th in effective field goal percentage defense (45.5%) and 5th in forced turnover percentage (23.6%) on the season. Houston is 355th in adjusted tempo with 63.3 possessions per game according to KenPom. Take the under in this contest as both teams take the air out of the ball.
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