NCAA Basketball: Iowa State at Houston
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The Big 12 is home to one of the more notable games on Monday's college basketball schedule when the No. 4-ranked Houston Cougars host the visiting Kanas Jayhawks at 9 p.m. ET. The Cougars are winners of eight straight and have been one of the best teams in the nation this year. They enter Monday atop the Big 12 with a 25-4 overall record, 17-1 record in conference matchups and 15-1 record at home. The Jayhawks have had a more forgettable season and are sixth in the Big 12 with a 19-10 overall record and 10-8 conference record. Kansas is coming off a narrow loss to No. 10 Texas Tech and lost 92-86 to Houston on Jan. 25. 

Can the Jayhawks get back into the swing of things and knock off a top NCAA Tournament contender, or will the Cougars continue their dominance of the Big 12 and win their ninth game in a row? 

Kansas at Houston odds

  • Spread: Houston -9.5
  • Total: 132.5
  • Money line: Houston -543, Kansas +401 

The Cougars are 9.5-point favorites on their home court and heavy money-line favorites at -543 (bet $543 to win $100), while the Jayhawks are +401 on the money line (bet $100 to win $401). Those numbers have trended Kansas' way as it opened at +480 for the visitors and -671 for Houston. The over/under is set at 132.5, with the Over priced at -112 and the Under at -108. 

Houston is 16-13 against the spread this year, including 9-7 at home and 15-13 as favorites. Kansas is 12-17 against the spread, 5-8 on the road and 1-3 as underdogs. 

The SportsLine Projection Model model leans to the Over in this matchup and projects one side of the spread to hit 60% of the time. You can see the model's latest projections on SportsLine, as well as expert picks from analysts like Jeff Hochman, who shared which side of the spread he's backing for Monday. 

Kansas is one of the better, more consistent basketball programs in America, and the Jayhawks were actually the preseason No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll. Things haven't turned out the way anyone expected with Bill Self's program, though, and with two more defeats, Kansas would have its most losses in a single season under Self, who's been at the helm since 2003-04. The Jayhawks have a veteran roster headlined by senior center Hunter Dickinson, who is averaging 16.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. The Jayhawks are overall 123rd in scoring per contest and are efficient, too, ranking 49th in shooting percentage. Defensively, Kansas has good overall numbers, ranking 12th in opposing field goal percentage and 61st in points per game allowed. Of the Jayhawks' 10 losses, six are by single figures, including against Houston, so they've been competitive in nearly every game this year. 

As for Houston, the Cougars have the best scoring defense in the nation and are one of just three teams allowing fewer than 60 points per contest. Additionally, Houston is fourth in defensive field goal percentage. The Cougars did allow 86 points to Kansas when the two teams faced off in January, but that game went to double overtime and the Jayhawks scored 66 points in regulation. Offensively, Houston is 147th in scoring per game and 95th in field goal percentage. Guard L.J. Cryer leads the Cougars with 14.8 points per game and is one of four Houston players averaging double digits. Houston pairs its suffocating defense with one of the slowest playing paces in America, averaging the seventh-fewest possessions per game this season.