The second semifinal game of the Big 12 Tournament will pit the Kansas Jayhawks (23-9) vs. the Houston Cougars (27-5) in the T-Mobile Center.
This is the second meeting of the season between the two, and the Cougars will be looking to even the score after suffering a 69-56 loss vs. the Jayhawks in Phog Allen Fieldhouse in late February.
Houston is favored by 5.5 points for Friday's 9:30 p.m. ET tip-off, live on ESPN.
Who will have an advantage for tonight's Kansas vs. Houston prediction on the spread? Use PrizePicks Team Picks to make predictions on game winners, spreads, over/unders, and more.
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Kansas vs. Houston Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
It’s been a solid season for the Jayhawks, who sit at 12-6 in conference play. They boast three impressive wins vs. top-five opponents: No. 1 Arizona on February 9, No. 2 Iowa State on January 13, and No. 5 Houston on February 23. They also own some head-scratching losses vs. Cincinnati (18-15), West Virginia (18-14), and Arizona State (17-16).
At their best, this is an elite defensive team led by potential No. 1 2026 NBA Draft pick, G Darryn Peterson. The freshman phenom has played in only 21 games this season and averages just 28.4 minutes per game, but he's undeniably electric, leading the Jayhawks with 20.0 points per game.
Toughness and defense are staples of Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson-led teams, and this version of the Cougars epitomizes those characteristics. They are sixth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency (93), according to Bart Torvik.
Offensively, they are led by Houston freshman G Kingston Flemings. He leads the Cougars in points (16.5) and assists (5.3) per game, and despite weighing 190 pounds soaking wet, he scores efficiently, shooting 48.3% from the field and 38.5% from deep.
Houston to win the Big 12 Tournament is currently returning a 3.03x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks.
Kansas vs. Houston Spread, Over/Under
The Cougars enter Friday’s game as 5.5-point favorites, returning a 1.38x payout if they win, per PrizePicks Team Picks.
The Jayhawks are the underdogs with a 2.7x payout to win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Houston Cougars -5.5
- Over/Under: 137.5
- Game Winner Payout: Kansas 2.94x | Houston 1.38x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
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Kansas vs. Houston Prediction on Spread – 3/13/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your Kansas vs. Houston prediction on the spread for Friday, March 13, on PrizePicks.
- Kansas is 20-12-0 (62.5%) against the spread (ATS) this season, tied for the best covering percentage in the Big 12.
- Houston is just 15-17-0 (46.9%) ATS this season.
- The Jayhawks covered and won outright as underdogs in their lone regular-season matchup vs. the Cougars.
- It can be beneficial to take underdogs in low-total games, applying to this Big 12 battle.
- With a total of just 134.5, scoring could be a rarity tonight, which could favor the 5.5-point underdog.
- Despite Houston being known as one of CBB’s elite defensive programs, the Jayhawks have the better effective field goal percentage allowed at 45.1% — fourth-best in the country. The Cougars rank 20th at 46.9% allowed.
- This game will take place in Kansas City and could serve as a de facto home game for the Jayhawks.
Make Kansas vs. Houston Picks on PrizePicks
Will Kansas go 2-0 against Houston this season, or will the Cougars enact revenge and continue their march to a Big 12 Championship?
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