Houston Cougars vs Kansas Jayhawks Prediction, 2/23/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Cougars vs Kansas Jayhawks

Date: Monday, February 23, 2026

Location: Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS

TV: ESPN

The Kansas Jayhawks (20-7) will compete against the Houston Cougars (23-4) at Allen Fieldhouse on Monday.

The Houston Cougars faced Arizona and went home with a loss by a final score of 73-66 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Cougars ended up with 24 while Arizona accumulated 19 fouls. They made 3 of 12 tries from beyond the arc. Arizona finished the contest at 64.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 20 of their 31 shots. Moreover, Arizona totaled 32 rebounds (12 offensive, 20 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Arizona distributed 10 dimes and had 9 steals in this contest. In regard to defense, Houston let their opponent shoot 44.6% from the floor on 25 out of 56 shooting. They also dished out 12 assists for the game in addition to creating 5 turnovers and earning 2 steals. When discussing pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 34 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Cougars converted 18 of 22 tries for a rate of 81.8%. Houston walked away from the contest having earned a 35.7% field goal percentage (20 of 56) and converted 8 of their 26 three-point shots.

Kingston Flemings is one player who was a factor in this matchup. He ended up shooting 35.3% from the field and also distributed 4 assists. He was on the court for 33 mins and also grabbed 8 boards. He ended up with 17 points on 6 of 17 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Houston will play this game with a mark of 23-4 on the year. They are averaging 77.4 points per contest (148th in the nation) on 44.9% from the floor. The Cougars are shooting 34.0% on 3-point shots (240 of 706) and 77.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Houston is grabbing 37.0 boards per contest and is sitting with 410 assists on the year, which ranks 126th in college in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 8.3 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.5 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Cougars have forced 13.9 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.1 fouls. They currently rank 27th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 302 surrendered on the year. The Cougars are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 39.9% (558 of 1,399) and they surrender 33.5 boards per contest as a group. They are surrendering 31.3% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 2nd in college in opponents points per game (62.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the Kansas Jayhawks took a loss by a final score of 84-68 when they faced Cincinnati. The Jayhawks pulled down 19 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 28 for the contest. They coughed it up 9 times, while recording 5 steals for this contest. Cincinnati committed 13 fouls in the game which took the Jayhawks to the free throw line for a total of 13 tries. They were able to convert 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 76.9%. With regard to shots from 3-point land, Kansas knocked down 4 of their 18 tries (22.2%). When the game finished, the Jayhawks went 27 out of 61 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.3%. The Jayhawks allowed Cincinnati to convert 31 of 64 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 48.4% for the game. They finished 38.7% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 12 out of 31 and ended up shooting 10 of 15 at the free throw line (66.7%). In relation to attacking the glass, Kansas permitted Cincinnati to grab 37 in total (11 on the offensive side).

Flory Bidunga ended up being a major contributor for the Jayhawks in the game. He earned 18 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and had 3 dimes for this contest. He made 8 out of 10 in this matchup for a rate of 80.0%, and accounted for 12 rebounds.

Kansas has a mark of 20-7 for the campaign. The Jayhawks are committing 14.3 fouls per game and they hit 76.6% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 14.8 times per contest (131st in college hoops) and they cough up possession 10.5 times per contest. Kansas has earned 2,077 pts on the season (76.9 per contest) and they collect 38.5 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Jayhawks are connecting on 47.0% from the field, which ranks 81st in the nation.

The Jayhawks on the defensive side of the court are 55th in college in points allowed per contest with 68.6. They are able to force 9.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 38.7% from the field (6th in college hoops). The Kansas defense surrenders 30.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter (225 of 747) and their opponents are connecting on 65.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 12.0 assists and 36.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 71st and 285th in the country.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Kansas

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.