Miami vs. Houston Sweet 16 Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The 2023 NCAA Tournament is down to the Sweet 16. Heading to the Midwest region, No. 5 Miami will face No. 1 Houston on Friday night in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Hurricanes have already dispatched Drake and Indiana in their bid to make a second straight appearance in the Elite Eight. Houston, the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament, is also looking to reach the Elite Eight for the second straight year after dismantling Northern Kentucky and Auburn in the first two rounds of the tournament.
Houston is sitting as a 7.0-point favourite to win on the college basketball odds.
Miami vs. Houston Sweet 16 Point Spread and Betting
The winner of this game will face either No. 2 Texas or No. 3 Xavier for Midwest Region title on Sunday.
Miami has the second-longest odds to win the tournament at +4143, ahead of only No. 15 Princeton at a massive +11,700. The Hurricanes are +773 to win the Midwest. They’re 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as an underdog, but they’ve failed to cover in four of their last six overall.
Houston, one of two remaining one-seeds, has the second-best tournament odds at +319 and they’re favoured to win the Midwest at -120. The Cougars have been a poor cover option lately, going just 2-6 against the spread in their last eight games overall. The total has gone Under in four of their last six games.
These teams have never faced each other as Division-1 opponents.
Miami Hurricanes (5)
Miami’s offence was in high gear all night in their 85-69 win over Indiana. Isaiah Wong led the way for the Hurricanes with a game-high 27 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Miller added 19 points and Nijel Pack had 12. Norchad Omier dominated the paint with a game-high 17 rebounds. The ACC regular season champs shot 48.6 per cent from the field and 39.1 per cent from beyond the arc.
The concern for Miami is the defensive side of the court. The Hurricanes enter the Sweet 16 with the least efficient defence in the tournament, according to KenPom metrics, as they allow 101.7 points per 100 possessions. Their front court also lacks size, which is a major weakness against an elite rebounding team like Houston. Miami can likely cover the number in this game, but an outright win is unlikely.
Houston Cougars (1)
Houston actually trailed by 10 points at the break before a 50-point explosion in the second half led them to an 81-64 win over Auburn. Tramon Mark led all scorers in the game with 26 points and added nine rebounds, while Marcus Sasser had 22 points. Sasser looks like he’s now close to full health after he was forced to sit out the entire second half of the Cougars’ first game of the tournament because of a groin injury.
According to KenPom metrics, Houston scores 118.5 points per 100 possessions, ranking them ninth in the nation. Keep in mind, however, they also boast the second-best defence in the nation, allowing opponents an average of just 56.6 points per game. That’s obviously a dangerous combination. It’s up in the air of the Cougars can cover this game, but it would be a surprise if they didn’t win it outright.
MIA
HOU