The Big 12 Tournament continues Friday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The action tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ESPN+, as the BYU Cougars and Houston Cougars meet in the first of two semi-final round games. At approximately 9:30 p.m. ET, the Texas Tech Red Raiders meet the Arizona Wildcats.
Here are our best Big 12 Tournament college basketball picks for Friday, March 14th.
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Friday’s Best Big 12 Tournament College Basketball Picks
Wednesday: 4-4 (50.0%, -64) | Season: 7-6 (53.8%, +24) | Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All picks are for 1 unit
BYU Cougars (+260) vs. Houston Cougars (-330) | O/U 134.5 (-115/-105)
The BYU Cougars (24-8) and Houston Cougars (28-4) meet at 7:00 p.m. at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City in the first game of the Big 12 semi-finals.
BYU upended the Iowa State Cyclones 96-92 on Thursday, recording its seventh Quad 1 win of the season, moving to 7-6 straight up (SU) in 13 such instances. BYU’s Richie Saunders put the Cougars on his back, going for 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, including 3-of-8 from behind the three-point line. He was also a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line while adding five assists and a blocked shot. Keba Keita added nine points with 10 rebounds, while also blocking a shot. Fousseyni Traore was good for 15 points in just 16 minutes off the bench, hitting 5-of-6 from the field while going 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
Houston picked up a 77-68 victory against Colorado on Thursday, but it came nowhere near cashing as a 17.5-point favorite as the over (127.5) came through. Houston didn’t play its best game, hitting 49% (24-of-49) from the field and 44.4% (8-of-18) from behind the arc. They left a lot of points on the floor, hitting just 67.7% (21-of-31) from the free-throw line. However, Houston outrebounded Colorado by a 35-to-30 margin, while posting one fewer turnover. Colorado struggled from the field, hitting just 40.4% (23-of-57) against a suffocating Houston defense.
In the win for Houston, Emanuel Sharp led the way with 19 points, five rebounds and three steals on 6-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-7 from behind the three-point line. Milos Uzan was good for 14 points, too, while L.J. Cryer also dropped 14 points with a pair of triples. It wasn’t all good, however, as J’Wan Roberts suffered a sprained right ankle in the victory. X-rays were negative, so at least there isn’t a long-term concern. Roberts is a huge question mark for the BYU game, and the Big 12 Championship Game, should Houston be fortunate to advance.
These teams met at the Fertitta Center in Houston back on January 4th, with the Cougars blasting the, well, Cougars, 86-55. That’s Houston, who recorded the victory, hitting 49.2% (29-of-59) from the field, including 47.1% (16-of-34) from behind the three-point line. Sharp led the way with 18 points, while Terrance Arceneaux had 15 points off the bench. BYU was just 37.5% (18-of-48) from the floor while going only 33.3% (8-of-24) from the perimeter. Saunders was limited to nine points. Only Trevin Knell (12 points) had double digits in points, and that came in 16 minutes off the bench well after the game was decided.
Houston has won 11 in a row since an 82-81 overtime setback to Texas Tech on February 1st, but it is just 0-3-1 ATS in the past four games and 1-4-1 ATS in the past six, while the under is 4-2 in that six-game span.
BYU has won nine straight since an 84-66 setback at Cincinnati on February 8th, while going 8-1 ATS in the span. The over has hit in three in a row and is 10-2-1 in the previous 13 outings.
Let’s back BYU, as it has been red-hot. Houston might be down a man with Roberts. We’ll also side with the over, as BYU has been playing with a lot of confidence on offense.
Picks: BYU +7.5 (-110) & Over 134.5 Points (-115)
Arizona Wildcats (+114) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (-137) | O/U 147.5 (-105/-115)
The Wildcats (21-11) take on the Red Raiders (25-7) in the second Big 12 semi-final matchup.
Texas Tech eased by Baylor in the quarter-finals on Thursday, winning 76-74, although the Bears covered as 6.5-point underdogs as the over (142) connected. The Red Raiders advanced despite hitting just 39.1% (25-of-64) from the field, but they were 44.1% (15-of-34) from behind the three-point line. They also registered 40 rebounds, 16 assists, four blocked shots and just seven turnovers. JT Toppin was good for a team-high 26 points with 10 rebounds and three blocked shots while hitting an efficient 10-of-19 from the field. He also hit a pair of three-pointers. Elijah Hawkins had a double-double, too, going for 12 points and 11 assists with three triples.
The Red Raiders played just eight players against Baylor. Kevin Overton struggled off the bench, misfiring on all seven of his field-goal attempts to finish with four points. The bench managed to go just 3-of-14 (21.4%) from the field, posting 12 points, 10 rebounds and one assist.
Arizona avenged an 83-76 loss at Kansas in the regular-season finale, ousting the Jayhawks 88-77 in the quarter-finals on Thursday night in the late sesh. The Wildcats shot 53.4% (31-of-58) from the field while hitting 44.4% (8-of-18) from behind the arc. It was also a very efficient 85.7% (18-of-21) from the free-throw line, while playing Kansas even in rebounds and assists. Arizona was +4 in steals and had three fewer turnovers than its counterparts. Henri Veesaar and KJ Lewis came off the bench for 19 points apiece, with Veesaar going for four rebounds, two assists and a pair of three-pointers. Trey Townsend went for 16 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting.
The last time these teams met, Arizona topped Texas Tech 82-73 at the McKale Center in Tucson as a 3.5-point favorite on February 8th as the over (150) cashed. On January 18th, the Red Raiders won at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, 70-54, while covering as a 4.5-point favorite as the under (150) cashed.
Arizona is just 4-5 SU in the past nine games despite its quarter-finals win. They are still just 3-6 ATS in that span. The over has cashed in three straight games.
Texas Tech has won four in a row, but it is just 4-6 ATS in its past 10 games, while the over is 3-1 in the past four outings. We’ll side with Arizona catching the points and go with the over based on the trends for both teams lately and the result of the most recent matchup.
Picks: Arizona +2.5 (-115) & Over 147.5 Points (-105)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @WinWithJoe.
