Rutgers vs. Houston Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
Stout defence and superb rebounding was the formula as the No. 10 Rutgers Scarlet Knight concocted to earn their first NCAA Tournament win in 38 years. The Scarlet Knights took down No. 7 ranked Clemson in a 60-56 defensive battle, and now face off with the No. 2 Houston Cougars who scored a tournament-high 87 points in a 31-point win Friday.
Tip-off at Lucas Oil Stadium is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EST on Sunday.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Houston Cougars NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The Cougars enter Sunday on an eight-game win streak and have won nine of their last 10. Rutgers has only come out victorious in five of their last 10, but the beauty of March Madness is that it only takes 40 minutes of basketball to move on and end a team’s season.
The Scarlet Knights are a battle-tested team with size, although Houston is their better team under the glass with 40.6 rebounds a night. Oddsmakers see the Cougars cruising to the Sweet 16, as they are currently listed as 8.5-point favourites with the over-under set at 132.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The Scarlet Knights didn’t face a potent offence Friday in Clemson, but they still deserve credit for holding the Tigers to 35 per cent shooting from the field and to only six made three-pointers on nearly 20 attempts. Rutgers kept it close due to their own offensive issues but still were in control for the most part.
Senior guards Geo Baker and Jordan Young each had 13 points to lead the Scarlet Knights, while team leading scorer Ron Harper Jr. struggled from the field, shooting just 3-for-14 for 10 points. The big man, 6’11 centre Myles Johnson, only scored one basket, but he’ll be a key piece for Rutgers down low after dominating there Friday with 10 rebounds and a trio of blocks.
Houston Cougars
Cleveland State was no competition for the Cougars on Friday and they made them pay. Houston nailed 47.5 per cent of their field goals and added 22 free throws to blowout the No. 15 Vikings. The Cougars have blown out inferior teams all season, but they’re now facing a Rutgers club that’s had a much harder schedule. That said, the Scarlet Knights were just 1-7 against top-25 teams.
Houston’s leading scorer Quentin Grimes led his team with 18 points on Friday, exactly matching his season average. With the score out of hand early, Houston got 39 points from their bench including 15 from freshman guard Tramon Mark.
