The Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Semifinals are on display Friday, March 15 at 7:00 PM ET for Game 1 of the day between the 25^th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders (23-9) and top-ranked Houston Cougars (29-3). The action will happen at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Cougars are moderately favored with a point spread at -8.5 (-110).

The Red Raiders have now won their last four consecutive games heading into this matchup. Their most recent victory was an 81-67 performance against the BYU Cougars, where the Red Raiders shot 49.1 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from the three point line.

During the Quarterfinal matchup against the BYU Cougars, Pop Isaacs led them with 22 points and is a key figure for their upcoming potential success. He is currently making 41.0 percent of his shots and averaging 16.0 points per game.

Their offense has thrived this season, as they are averaging 75.9 points each game, but this will be put to the test against one of the best defenses in the country. This will be interesting to see if they can continue their hot shooting (45.5 percent from the field) and good ball movement with 15.0 assists each game.

Defensively they are solid in allowing 69.0 points to opposing teams. The problem is whether or not they can make more stops than the Cougars.

The Cougars have arguably had the best season out of any team in college basketball this season. They are currently on a 10-game win streak, with their last win being a 60-45 rout over the TCU Horned Frogs in the Quarterfinals.

Emanuel Sharp gave 14 points in that performance despite poor shooting. They will need his work in addition to leading scorer L.J. Cryer’s 15.7 points per game in order to have a shot at victory.

The Cougars’ offense is on par with the Red Raiders, as they average 74.2 points per game and shoot 43.8 percent from the field. If both teams are able to score at will, this could be an entertaining matchup.

However, the Cougars boast one of the toughest defenses in the nation in allowing teams to score just 56.9 points per game. Not many have landed more than 60 points, making them tough to beat here.

MyBookie has the odds for this matchup, with the Houston Cougars favored by 8.5 points. Market insights are indicating that the Cougars have an 89.0 percent likelihood of winning this game. The Cougars look great at every turn, making them the best choice to win and cover the spread here.