Arizona Wildcats vs Houston Cougars Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 02/21/26

College hoops fans are in for a treat on Saturday as we have a massive marquee game on the schedule between arguably the 2 best teams in a loaded Big 12 Conference; the Arizona Wildcats and Houston Cougars. Kelvin Sampson’s team is coming off a demoralizing loss against Iowa State on Monday, while Arizona just picked up a much-needed victory at home against a wounded BYU team on Wednesday. Now, the Cougars are back at home and should be in a good position to bounce back following a very poor final 10 minutes against Iowa State in a game that they otherwise looked to be the better, more complete team. With that in mind, I’ll be against Arizona and backing Houston to lay the lumber and win by margin on Saturday. 

This is one of the better situational spots of the weekend, especially with Houston coming off a loss in a game that the Cougars certainly were clearly in a position to win in the second half. In fact, if not for some “Hilton Magic” over the last few minutes of the game, we would be talking about Houston as a worthy challenger to Michigan and Duke for the top team in the sport. Houston’s 3 defeats this season have come by a combined 10 points, which speaks to the quality of the Cougars and the fact that they could easily be undefeated if not for a few bounces here and there. Broadly speaking, Houston’s metrics tell the story (top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency per KenPom), and the Cougars have a unique ability to drag any opponent in to the mud with them. Sampson’s team has also fared well against Tommy Lloyd and this Arizona program since the Wildcats joined the Big 12, having knocked off Arizona twice a season ago, despite not hosting either matchup.

In addition to the spot on paper, it’s also important to consider that Arizona forward Koa Peat will be out with an injury for Saturday’s contest. Peat is obviously a driving force within the Wildcats offense, and he’ll be sorely missed in a game where the dominance of Houston’s defense should be felt the most in the frontcourt battle and on the glass. Without Peat in the lineup, it’s reasonable to question the scoring depth and versatility of an Arizona team that has struggled when stepping up in class in recent Big 12 play, as we’ve seen in losses to Kansas and Texas Tech. Given its poor performance down the stretch in Monday’s loss, it’s safe to say that Houston should play to its very high standard at home against an Arizona team that has shown a few cracks in the armor, and is shorthanded for this matchup. Lay the points with the Cougars in this one. 

Arizona vs Houston prediction: Houston -4.5 available at time of publishing. Playable to Houston -5.5

You can bet on our Arizona vs Houston pick at DraftKings Sportsbook, which has thousands of betting options available and a great new customer offer where you can get $200 in bonus bets instantly if your first $5 wager is a winner! Click here 👈🏼 to sign up for a DraftKings account now.