Houston at Cincinnati NCAAB Betting Preview

Once a battle for the top of the American Athletic Conference standings the matchup between the Houston Cougars and Cincinnati Bearcats has moved to the Big 12. The intensity level hasn’t diminished and a win over a top 10 team will do a lot for Cincinnati’s hopes of ending a 6-year NCAA Tournament drought.

Houston at Cincinnati Preview

Former AAC members the Houston Cougars and Cincinnati Bearcats open their third Big 12 campaign against each other on Saturday, January 3, 2026. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. ET at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati with FOX airing the matchup live.

Public Betting Odds Factors

• The move to the Big 12 hasn’t flustered Houston, which has gone 79-11 overall since the move with a Final Four appearance last season. The Cougars reached No. 1 in the AP poll in the first week of the season but a loss to No. 17 Tennessee before Thanksgiving removed them from the top 5.
• The Cougs have won 6 straight since their only loss with payouts on the college basketball spread in four of the last five games. Included was a neutral site win over No. 14 Arkansas on Dec. 20 giving them 2 wins over nationally ranked opponents.
• Known for their relentless defensive pressure under head coach Kelvin Sampson, Houston is at it again. The Cougs have allowed 60 points or less in eight of their 13 games and are third nationally in scoring defense. They also boast the 9th best defensive rating at kenpom.com.
• Cincy got geared up for Big 12 play with an easy 89-62 cover win over Lipscomb on Monday night, their third straight payout. It was a much needed blowout following an 8-game stretch where the Bearcats won just 3 games.
• Baba Miller has put up big numbers for the Bearcats this season averaging a double-double with 12.6 points and 11.5 rebounds. He had a career-best 21 boards against Lipscomb and currently ranks 4th in the country in rebounding.
• The return of Jizzle James from injury has sparked Cincinnati’s offense. In three games James is averaging 14.0 points on 50 percent 3-point shooting and twice the Bearcats scored more than 87 points. Over that span they’re averaging 81.7 points, about 6 points more than their season average.
• The schedule was tough and made worse with James on the shelf. Cincy’s last 3 losses were to Clemson, Georgia and Xavier, teams with a combined record of 31-8.

Houston at Cincinnati Predictions

• Houston didn’t look like the No. 8 team in the country last time out, beating Middle Tennessee 69-60 as a 26-point favorite on the college basketball betting line. The Cougs played most of the second half without leading scorer Emanuel Sharp and avoided a letdown against a lesser opponent ahead of the Big 12 opener.
• Expect the Cougs to reestablish their dominance on both ends of the floor. Sharp averages 17.0 points and was removed from the MTSU game as a precaution. He should play, giving the offense a boost.

Houston at Cincinnati Betting Tips

• Houston has yet to play a true road game going 5-1 SU and 2-4 ATS in neutral-site contests.
• The Cougars are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games but just 6-7 ATS for the season.
• The Bearcats cashed the UNDER in their last 4 games and in 6 of the last 7. The UNDER is 7-2 in their 9 home games.
• Cincinnati has lost 9 straight games to opponents that were ranked among the top 15 at the time of the meeting, 3 of those setbacks were to Houston.

Houston at Cincinnati Head to Head and Key Stats

• There is a history between the teams as members of the same conference for the past 13 years. They also spent time together in the late 90s to early 00s in CUSA. They both joined the AAC in 2013-14 and moved to the Big 12 for the 2023-24 year.
• In 27 meetings since joining the AAC in 2013, the Cougars are 16-11 and riding a 12-game series winning streak. In that span the Cougs are 8-4 ATS, but the Bearcats have payouts in the last 3 meetings.
• 6 of the last 8 matchups have cashed the UNDER and the Bearcats have gone 18 straight games without reaching the 70-point mark.