March Madness is just a couple of weeks away, and this time it’s actually happening. It’s going to be a lot different in 2021 with the entire NCAA Tournament in one location, but having been cancelled in 2020 the players are going to be even more enthused than usual and the bettors will be especially eager. With the regular season wining down, it’s time to start looking ahead at the teams that can expect to be serious National Championship contenders. We’ll be breaking them down one by one, and our series continues with the ninth-ranked Houston Cougars.
Houston basketball schedule – The season so far
As is always the case with a good team that isn’t in one of the major conferences, the jury is still out on Houston and it will be until the NCAA Tournament. The competition level just isn’t strong enough in the American Athletic Conference. For the most part the Cougars have done a solid job of taking care of business against inferior teams. They are 20-3 overall and 13-3 in the AAC, and they do boast one nice non-conference victory over Texas Tech—which was ranked 14th at the time and is currently 18th. That is a result that will look good in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament committee. Houston’s losses have come at Tulsa on Dec. 29, at East Carolina on Feb. 3, and at Wichita State on Feb. 18. Put head coach Kelvin Sampson’s team at home (or on a neutral court such as vs. Texas Tech) and it has been unbeatable.
The Cougars will have to be tested by an elite opponent in order to find out just how good they are, but on paper they appear to be legit. They have the star power (Quentin Grimes), the depth (11 guys average double-digits in minutes), and the defense necessary to be successful. UH is surrendering a mere 57.3 points per game and a whopping six different guys are making at least one steal per game.
Sportsbook Betting Odds for Houston to win the NCAA Tournament
Houston is +1800 to win the National Championship, making them a fifth favorite at FanDuel (tied with Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio State while trailing Baylor, Gonzaga, Michigan, and Villanova).
Odds are also available for the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Houston is a -250 favorite at DraftKings and a -260 favorite at FanDuel. Wichita State, Memphis, and SMU are the other only teams in the realistic AAC picture (they are all between +430 and +700, after which South Florida comes in fifth at +2700). The Cougars are +300 at FanDuel to reach the Final Four.
Best Houston March Madness Bets
It’s not a sexy pick, but it has to be said that the best bet right now is an AAC Tournament title at -250. That is actually pretty good value on a team that is far superior to everyone else in the conference. Wichita State has lost only twice in the ACC, but at the same time it has won just nine such games. It should also be noted that the Shockers lost to Memphis by 20 and didn’t give Houston much trouble in their one regular-season meeting. Memphis is a respectable 10-3 in the American Athletic, but it suffered a couple of terrible non-conference losses.
As for the Final Four and national title odds, they just aren’t quite long enough for me to jump on a squad that hasn’t faced anyone really good other than Texas Tech.
March Madness team-by-team guides
Team profile: Gonzaga Bulldogs
Team profile: Alabama Crimson Tide
Team profile: Villanova Wildcats
Team profile: Michigan Wolverines
Team profile: Illinois Fighting Illini
Team profile: Texas Tech Red Raiders
Team profile: Virginia Cavaliers
Team profile: Creighton Bluejays
Team profile: Ohio State Buckeyes
Team profile: Florida State Seminoles
Team profile: Tennessee Volunteers
Team profile: Wisconsin Badgers
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