BYU Basketball opens as 11-point underdog to Houston

BYU Basketball will face its biggest test of the young season as they travel to Texas to take on the Houston Cougars. Vegas released the line for the game Thursday afternoon and opened with BYU as an 11-point underdog. KenPom also likes Houston, predicting a final score of 75-66 in favor of the Cougars in red. BYU is 75 in the KenPom rankings while Houston is 28.

Houston is coming off a 33-4 season and Sweet 16 appearance. They lost 3 of their top 4 scorers from last season, but still bring back a very talented roster and added a former 5-star recruit in transfer Quentin Grimes from Kansas. Houston also took down BYU 76-62 last year in the Marriott Center in a game they controlled from start to finish.

Houston doesn’t have a ton of size down low, as they only have one guy taller than 6-foot-8, but they have a very talented guard line and a lot of length at every position. They have six guys between 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-8 and and three guys measuring at 6-foot-5. BYU struggled with SDSU’s and SUU’s athleticism, and Houston poses an even bigger challenge than those teams.

BYU-Houston will tip off at 7pm MST on ESPNU.