Jan. 10, 2026, 10:22 a.m. ET
The No. 7 Houston Cougars (14-1, 2-0 Big 12) and Baylor Bears (10-4, 0-2) tussle Saturday in Waco, Texas. The contest at Foster Pavilion will tip off at 1 p.m. ET (Peacock). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NCAA basketball odds around the Houston vs. Baylor odds and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions for the best bets.
Houston last played Tuesday when it edged +7.5 Texas Tech 69-65 (Under 142.5). The Cougars are 8-0 since filing a loss to current-No. 22 Tennessee on Nov. 25.
Baylor heads into this game having lost 2 straight. The second of those setbacks came Wednesday, when the +4.5 Bears dropped a 70-60 (Under 155.5) decision against No. 3 Iowa State. BU is in a portion of its schedule that has the Bears playing 4 ranked foes in a 5-game stretch.
UH swept 2 games from BU last season.
– Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
Watch NCAA basketball on Fubo!Houston at Baylor odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:22 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Houston -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | Baylor +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Against the spread (ATS): Houston -3.5 (-105) | Baylor +3.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 142.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Houston at Baylor picks and predictionsPrediction
Houston 75, Baylor 73
No interest; PASS.
BU hosted UH last March 8, and the game flow of that one amounted to a toe-to-toe rock fight. Houston defeated +4 Baylor 65-61 in a push.
And the Bears have been in similar games in their last 2 which were both filed as ATS setbacks. BU plays well at home and against a slow-the-pace Cougar five is a good play to win or get edged in a contest that comes down to one final possession. Baylor offensive rebound and second-chance-scoring ability looms large as a key factor in a lean toward the home five. So is an impressive set of shot-quality measures: BU is quite good in how it contests shots and forces foes into suboptimal looks. The Bears figure as being a bit unlucky so far.
TAKE BAYLOR +3.5 (-115).
The Over is 3-1 across 4 meetings since 2021.
The tempo matchup is glacial-pace at one end (Houston), but Baylor plays at a top-third speed. The Bears’ scoring (90.7 points per game) has come against a very good schedule of defense-leaning foes.
Mix in an expected input of second-chance and clock-stopped scoring (free throws), and the OVER 142.5 (-110) has value.
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