Illinois (3) vs. Houston (2) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Sweet 16 Odds
The Houston Cougars have now reached the Sweet 16 a nation-leading seven straight times.
After two dominating performances in Oklahoma City, coach Kelvin Sampson’s team is the highest remaining seed in the South Region. The second-seeded Cougars’ reward is a region semifinal at home against No. 3 seed Illinois on Thursday night at 10:05 p.m. ET.
Houston pounded Idaho in the first round, 78-47, and followed that up with another 31-point victory, an 88-57 beatdown of Texas A&M. Last year’s national finalists are poised for another trip to the last weekend.
Coach Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini have reached the tournament in each of his six years at the helm, and the school is looking for its second trip to the region final in three years after two impressive victories over VCU and Penn in Greenville last weekend.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Houston Cougars NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Houston, which is playing just two miles away from its campus at the Toyota Center, is currently listed as a 3.5-point favourite on the March Madness odds. The Cougars are 30-4 as favourites, 15-1 at home and 9-2 on neutral courts this season.
The over/under sits at 140. The Cougars have played to the under in 11 of 15 games.
Illinois Fighting Illini (3)
Illinois went 4-5 in the final five weeks of the regular season, but each of those losses came against tournament teams, and four went to overtime. This is a big team that finished among the nation’s leading scorers at 84.7 points per game.
The team is fifth in the nation in turnovers, giving the ball away only 8.8 times a game, and 10th in rebounding, grabbing 41 boards per contest. Illinois dominated the glass in both tournament games.
Freshman Keaton Wagler (17.8 ppg, 4.4 AST) is averaging 16 points in the tournament and is one of several freshmen competing Thursday night who are possible NBA lottery picks in June.
Andrej Stojakovic had 21 points to lead Illinois over VCU, 76-55, on Saturday, including an individual 9-0 run late in the first half that put the Fighting Illini in control of the game.
Seven-footer Tomislav Ivisic, who had 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Rams, will be a major focus inside for freshman Chris Cenac Jr. and the Cougars.
Houston Cougars (2)
The Cougars are again championship-worthy, and come into Thursday night’s contest having won seven of eight.
Emanuel Sharp averaged 17 points in Houston’s two wins in Oklahoma City. Cenac Jr. had 17 points and nine rebounds in the blowout win over the Aggies, and Kingston Flemings had 18 points and six rebounds in an easy first-round blowout of Idaho.
Sampson’s squad is even better at protecting the ball than the Fighting Illini. The Cougars led the nation with just 8.4 turnovers per game. They finished second in the country in opponent scoring, allowing just 62.3 points per contest.
March Madness Prediction: Who Will Win Illinois vs. Houston?
This is arguably the best game across the entire Sweet 16. Two tough, talented teams that protect the ball and battle on the boards.
The Cougars may only be 4-9 against the spread in their last 13 games, but they are essentially playing a home game. Although this will be much tougher than their two previous tournament victories, look for Houston to prevail, 68-64.