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Jeremy Perry
Houston vs. Kentucky Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Houston Cougars moved smoothly through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. They weren’t threatened in their opener and played a moderately close but ultimately not-very-dramatic second-round game. The main concern heading into this game, though, is the status of Kentucky star P.J. Washington. Will he be able to play this Friday or will the Wildcats have to again survive without him?
Houston Cougars vs. Kentucky Wildcats NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The Cougars last two wins have now pushed their ATS record to 8-2 in their last 10 non-conference games. They are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 on a neutral site and 25-11-1 ATS in their last 37 against winning teams.
The Wildcats have now covered six straight non-conference games. They are a healthy 5-1-2 ATS in their last eight NCAA Tournament contests. The under is 9-2 in their last 11 March Madness contests.
Houston Cougars
The Cougars played a vintage game against Ohio State on Sunday to move into the Sweet 16. The Cougars won 74-59 despite hitting just five-of-19 threes. They are not a great shooting team but they get more rebounds than their opponents and hand away fewer turnovers.
Through the first two games of the NCAA Tournament, it’s been the Corey Davis Jr. show as he’s scored 47 points in those two contests. Galen Robinson Jr. has also been effective, scoring 13 in the win against Ohio State. This team is mostly built around their guards like the aforementioned two and Armoni Brooks, so they’ll have to key the offence while the Cougars signature defence will have to show up. This team ranked No. 8 in the country in points per game. If the Wildcats are without Washington and the Cougars can clamp down on Reid Travis, they should be able to get the win.
Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats knew that Wofford’s Fletcher Magee was the man they had to stop and they stopped him. They shut out one of the best three-point shooters in college basketball as he finished the day 0-for-12. However, things will be different this time around. It’s not that Wofford is a one-man-band but they are probably a bit easier to defend than Houston.
Many people will talk up the Cougars defence going into this game but it’s not as if Kentucky slacks in that department. They actually finished ahead of Houston in the KenPom defensive ratings as Kentucky was ninth overall while Houston was 12th. They defend hard, often without committing many shooting fouls. They can win against Houston if the Cougars play the ugly street fight they like to play.
If Washington plays, the Wildcats will be too much to handle inside. Even if he doesn’t play, the Wildcats figure to have enough to get a slight edge and advance to the Elite Eight.
Cougars vs. Wildcats March Madness Prediction
Kentucky 68, Houston 62
