Jackson State vs Houston 11/4/24 Game Information

Jackson State vs Houston Preview

No. 4 ranked Houston tips off the 2024-25 NCAA Basketball season on Monday with a non-conference Home game against SWAC school Jackson State in a rematch of a game from last season. The point spread here is 34.5—almost the same exact margin the Cougars defeated the Tigers by in an 89-55 win at the Fertitta Center. So will this game play out the same way as that affair? Or will the fact that this is the first game of the year for both teams mean that Houston will be even more intent on smashing Jackson State. Let’s look at all the trends, key players, and reasons why the Cougars may win by 35 or more this time around in this free NCAA Basketball pick and Jackson State vs Houston prediction.

Jackson State in a Big Mismatch in Season Opener

Jackson State (15-17 SU, 14-17-1 ATS in 2023-24) will be led by Daeshun Ruffin (12.6 ppg), Keiveon Hunt, Shannon Grant, Jayme Mitchell, Juan Reyna, and Romelle Mansel, but the Tigers lost their top five scorers and only had one player in double-digits against Houston last season. That player, Coltie Young, has transferred out (ULM), so Jackson State is hoping to start fresh again. Last year the Tigers ranked No. 261 in points per possession and No. 307 in Turnovers per possession, so this is not exactly a disciplined team although they did (barely) have a better FG percentage than the Cougars in that meeting (42.5% to 42.4%) last December. The real question for handicappers here is will this be a 20-point game where the hosts don’t really care about a blowout or a 40-point game where Houston plays some really good and efficient basketball to start the year? 

Jackson State Betting Trends

• Jackson State’s biggest loss last year was the 34-point loss at Houston 
• The two teams have only met once and the Tigers pushed the 34-point spread
• Jackson State is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games played (LLLWLLL)
• The Tigers were 2-9 SU on the Road vs Non-Conference opponents last year
• Jackson State only averaged 6.0 ppg off its bench last season

Houston Aiming For Blowout vs SWAC Opponent

Houston (32-5 SU, 17-18-1 ATS in 2023-24) lost its best player, Jamal Shead, to the NBA Draft (Toronto Raptors), but top-scorer LJ Cryer (15.5 ppg), Emmanuel Sharp (12.6 ppg), Milos Uzan, Javier Francis and top rebounder J’Wan Roberts are all back so this team will still be prolific, fun to watch, and a threat come March Madness. The Cougars averaged 78.5 ppg last season and were No. 1 in the nation in allowing the fewest points per possession, were No. 10 in fewest TO’s per possession, and were the third ranked team when it came to forcing TOs. In short, this is a hard team to score against which makes the most of every possession and really likes to slow games down.

Houston Betting Trends

• Houston was a perfect 17-0 SU at Home last season
• The Cougars are 14-8 ATS in their last 22 games at Home
• The Under is 21-16 in the last 37 Houston games
• The First Half Under is 22-15 in the last 37 Cougars games
• Houston has lost 3 of its last 4 games ATS, 2 in the NCAA Tournament

Jackson State vs Houston Prediction and Pick

Like the Mississippi Valley State vs Iowa State mismatch in Ames on Monday night, we see a SWAC team, playing a Power 4 school team in a monster mismatch and payday for the tinier school with Jackson State in Houston to play the Cougars. In this game last year, Houston actually didn’t play a great First Half—leading only by 8 at halftime (37-29)—before exploding for a 52-26 Second Half to win by 34 points. Esteemed NCAAB pundit Ken Pomenroy has Houston ranked as his top team heading into this season, so expectations are high again with this team who will rely again heavily on Cryer, Sharp, and Roberts with Shead gone. One problem here laying the big lumber is Houston plays at one of the slowest tempos in the country, so weigh that before betting but keep in mind that the Cougars likely won’t play a mediocre First Half like last year and will likely shoot a little bit better than they did. This seems like a 90-50 type game.

Kevin’s Pick: Houston -34.5