West Virginia vs Houston Prediction 1/13/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The West Virginia Mountaineers and the Houston Cougars meet Tuesday in college basketball action from the Fertitta Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Houston Cougars prediction.

West Virginia Mountaineers Recap

The West Virginia Mountaineers come into this game looking to build on their 86-75 win over Kansas last time out to improve to 11-5 on the year. After this game, West Virginia will head home for a game against Colorado.

Mountaineers Pick Up Back-To-Back Wins

Honor Huff leads the Mountaineers in scoring with 17.5 PPG while Brenen Lorient has 10.6 PPG with 5.3 RPG. Chance Moore has 12.3 PPG with 5.8 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for West Virginia so far this season. Jasper Floyd has 7.5 PPG along with 3.3 RPG and a team-high 3.3 APG to lead the Mountaineers in assists and 2 SPG to lead in steals. Treysen Eaglestaff has 9.3 PPG with 4.4 RPG and DJ Thomas has also added 7 PPG this season. As a team, West Virginia is averaging 74.8 PPG on 45.5% shooting from the field, 36.6% from three and 69.1% from the foul line this season. 

Houston Cougars Recap

The Houston Cougars come into this game looking to add on to their 77-55 win over Baylor last time out to sit at 15-1 this season. After this game, Houston will take on Arizona State at home.

Cougars Win 9th In A Row

Emanuel Sharp leads the Cougars in scoring with 16.1 PPG along with 3 RPG while Kingston Flemings has 15.7 PPG with 3.3 RPG and a team-high 5.1 APG to lead Houston in assists up to this point in the year. Milos Uzan has 10.9 PPG with 2.9 RPG and 4.2 APG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Houston so far this season. Chris Cenac Jr. has 9.3 PPG with 7.4 RPG to lead Houston in rebounding and Joseph Tugler has 8.3 PPG with 5.8 RPG this season. As a team, Houston is averaging 77.3 PPG on 44.3% shooting from the field, 33.6% from three and 75.6% from the foul line this season.

West Virginia Mountaineers @ Houston Cougars Betting Trends: January 13, 2026

Why the Houston Cougars will win

• Houston has won each of its last 63 night games at Fertitta Center.
• West Virginia has lost each of its last eight night games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
• Houston has won the first half in each of its last 46 night games at Fertitta Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the West Virginia Mountaineers will win

• West Virginia has won each of its last five Tuesday games.
• West Virginia has won the first half in each of its last four games against teams with an AP Ranking of 7.

Total Points Facts

• Each of West Virginia’s last 17 Tuesday night road games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 131+ points.
• Five of Houston’s last six games have produced a total of 129+ points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Houston ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for opponent field goals made per game this season (20.1).
• Houston is one of only two teams to reach the Sweet 16 in each of its last five NCAA Tournament appearances.
• West Virginia ranks 6th among Division 1 teams for opponent points per game this season (62.3).
• West Virginia ranks 359th among Division 1 teams for pace this season (64.0).

West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Houston Cougars Prediction

I’m on the under in this one. I just think that this is going to be a slow-paced defensive grind as a lot of Ross Hodge games are, going back to his time with North Texas. On the other side, Houston seems to ratchet up the defensive pressure at home and I think they suffocate the Mountaineers here. Give me the under.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Under 128.5