Arizona State Sun Devils vs Houston Cougars Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 01/18/26

The Houston Cougars continue to be the Houston Cougars after winning their 10th straight game on Tuesday against West Virginia, 77-48. The Mountaineers, coming off a massive home win over Kansas, scored just 0.78 points per possession on 38.1% from two-point range, 36% from beyond the 3-point line, and just 50% from the free throw line, all while never having a lead and committing 15 turnovers. Now, Houston welcomes to the Fertitta Center an Arizona State squad that has struggled against its top competition, specifically in conference play — where the Sun Devils are just 1-3 following their 89-82 loss on the road to in-state rival and #1 team in the country, Arizona. Playing consecutive road games at Arizona and then at Houston is about as difficult as it gets not only in the Big 12, but in the country — especially when the Cougars starters have played no more than 30 minutes in either of their last 2 games due to blowouts. The Sun Devils actually had a very good offensive showing in their loss to their rivals on Wednesday, scoring 1.16 points per possession on 50% from inside the arc and 44% beyond it, but it still didn’t matter. They trailed by 12 with about 6 minutes to go in the game, and never really had a chance to win despite their strong showing offensively. That’s worrisome ahead of this contest with Houston, as I find it hard to believe they will be able to put together another showing like that on Sunday. 

Despite the performance, Arizona State still sits dead last in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (27%), while being bottom-4 in the conference in effective field goal percentage, turnover rate, and free throw rate. Simply put, it’s hard for them to produce consistently on the offensive end, and it’s been even harder for them on the other end of the floor — where they rank in the bottom 3 of the conference in adjusted defensive efficiency, effective field-goal percentage, and offensive rebounding rate allowed. Against the most efficient defense in the Big 12, I expect Arizona State to fall back to earth offensively on Sunday evening. Look for Houston to cut off the Sun Devils’ fast break opportunities, create chaos in the passing lanes that lead to turnovers. On the other end of the floor, expect the Cougars to convert ample second-chance opportunities for easy points and efficiently score the rim en route to a decisive victory and cover.

Arizona State vs Houston prediction: Houston -17.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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