Houston Cougars vs Cincinnati Bearcats Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Cougars vs Cincinnati Bearcats

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, OH

TV: FOX

The Houston Cougars (12-1) are on their way to Fifth Third Arena on Saturday where they will take on the Cincinnati Bearcats (8-5).

The Houston Cougars stepped onto the hardwood against MTSU and took home the win by a score of 69-60 in their last contest. Houston walked away from the contest having earned a 40.7% FG percentage (24 out of 59) and made 6 out of their 20 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Cougars converted 15 of 17 tries for a percentage of 88.2%. In regard to grabbing boards, they compiled a total of 27 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 8 assists for the matchup as well as forcing 18 turnovers and having 8 steals. Regarding the defense, Houston allowed their opponent to shoot 46.9% from the floor on 23 of 49 shooting. MTSU recorded 13 assists and had 3 steals for the contest. In addition, MTSU snagged 28 rebounds (10 offensive, 18 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. MTSU finished the game shooting 50.0% from the charity stripe by burying 3 of 6 tries. They also converted 11 of their 28 shots from downtown. In reference to personal fouls, the Cougars ended up with 11 and MTSU accumulated 21 personal fouls.

Kingston Flemings is a player who was a major contributor for the contest. He finished the contest at 35.7% from the floor and dished out 5 dimes. He played for 38 minutes and collected 2 rebounds. He accounted for 15 points on 5 of 14 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Parlay Picks

Houston steps onto the hardwood with a record of 12-1 for the campaign. They cough up possession 9.2 times per contest and as a unit they commit 17.8 fouls every game. As a team, Houston is pulling in 38.2 rebounds per game and has accounted for 216 assists so far this year, which is 110th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Cougars are hitting 34.8% on 3-point shots (119 of 342) and 76.2% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 78.7 pts per contest (158th in D-1) while going 45.3% from the field.

On defense, the Cougars are forcing 15.6 turnovers per game and they draw 16.5 fouls. They are ranked 15th in the nation in allowing assists with 125 surrendered so far this year. The Cougars defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 38.8% (263 of 677) and they concede 33.8 rebounds per game as a unit. They are giving up 29.0% on 3-point attempts and they rank 3rd in the country in PPG allowed (60.0).

In their last game, the Cincinnati Bearcats got the win with a final of 89-62 when they faced Lipscomb. The Bearcats were able to collect 31 defensive boards and 14 offensive boards for a total of 45 for the game. They coughed up the ball 7 times, while getting 5 steals in this game. Lipscomb had 12 fouls for the contest which took the Bearcats to the charity stripe for a total of 9 attempts. They were able to knock down 6 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 66.7%. When discussing shots from 3-point land, Cincinnati knocked down 11 out of 29 tries (37.9%). When all was said and done, the Bearcats finished the game shooting 36 out of 75 from the field which gave them a rate of 48.0%. The Bearcats permitted Lipscomb to convert 22 of 57 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 38.6% for the contest. They finished 32.4% from 3-point land by going 11 of 34 and finished the game at 7 of 13 from the free throw line (53.8%). Regarding attacking the glass, Cincinnati permitted Lipscomb to grab 30 in total (6 on the offensive side).

Moustapha Thiam was important for the Bearcats for the game. He recorded 18 points in his 24 minutes on the court, but finished this game without an assist. He converted 8 out of 13 for this game for a field goal rate of 61.5%, and totaled 5 rebounds.

Cincinnati has a record of 8-5 for the campaign. In terms of offensive execution, the Bearcats are connecting on 42.6% from the floor, which ranks 300th in Division 1. Cincinnati has totaled 985 pts on the campaign (75.8 per game) and they collect 40.2 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 17.5 times per contest (50th in college hoops) and they turn it over 13.1 times per game. The Bearcats commit 16.9 fouls per game while shooting 63.8% from the free throw line.

The Bearcats are ranked 28th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 65.5. They are able to force 15.1 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.1% from the floor (28th in the country). The Cincinnati defense surrenders 30.0% on shots from beyond the arc (97 of 323) and their opponents are connecting on 70.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 13.1 assists and 35.2 boards every game, ranking them 168th and 221st in those categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Houston

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.