Spread, Over/Under, & Predictions for West Virginia vs. Houston

Will WVU be able to do more than just cover the large point spread?

Jan 10, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Jasper Floyd (1) celebrates during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

A couple of months ago, the West Virginia football team traveled to Houston and took down a ranked Cougars team. Now it's the men's basketball team's opportunity. Of course, they will enter this game as large underdogs, but can the Mountaineers make things interesting?

Here are my predictions for today's game. Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Spread: Houston -13.5

Prediction: West Virginia covers.

There's something about that Kansas game that has me believing WVU will come into this game with a renewed belief and energy. Harlan Obioha will be the key here. If he's able to give strong, productive minutes as he did on Saturday, I feel really good about West Virginia hanging around deep into the second half. At some point, I do expect that typical second half drop off for the Mountaineers, which will allow Houston to build a comfortable lead. However, winning by 14 or more just doesn't seem in the cards, especially if WVU can string together stops and play the game at a slow pace.

Over/Under: 128.5

Prediction: Under

My projected total for this one is 126, so I'm not extremely confident in this prediction. The big concern here is if Houston's guards get going from three early, which is certainly in play when you see how well teams have shot from deep against West Virginia this season (34.8%). I'm going to bank on this being a bit of a rock fight where points are going to be at a premium, particularly in the first twenty minutes.

Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1. After the game, head over to our YouTube page (West Virginia On SI) for the Mountaineer Postgame Show, where we'll take a look at the final numbers, talk about the positives, what needs to improve, and much more.

Note: Our predictions are not to be taken as gambling advice. These predictions are simply to give an opinion on what we think will happen in this week's game.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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