What a run Idaho has made to get to this point.
The Vandals, who are 21-14 overall, went 9-9 in Big Sky play before the conference tournament. Then they won four consecutive games in the tourney, including a 77-66 victory over Montana in the Big Sky Championship, to secure a bid in March Madness.
But now, as a No. 15 seed, Idaho will have to take on one of the best teams in the country.
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The Vandals are facing No. 2-seeded Houston in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars are 28-6 overall and went 14-4 in the Big 12 standings before their own conference tournament.
Houston made a run to the league championship but ultimately fell to Arizona 79-74. Now the Cougars are aiming to get back on track.
Houston vs. Idaho Odds
Idaho is a +23.5 college basketball betting odds underdog against Houston, with the Over/Under being 137.5 points as of this writing.
The moneyline for Houston is -10000, while it’s +2500 for Idaho.
Houston vs. Idaho On TV
The matchup between Houston and Idaho will be televised on truTV. The game will tip off at 10:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 19.
The contest is taking place at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Houston vs. Idaho Prediction
I predict Houston will win but Idaho will cover the 23.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 137.5 total points.
I think Houston is a much better team and has what it takes to make a deep March Madness run. But I also think Idaho will find a way to cover this spread.
The Vandals, who are on a five-game winning streak, have scored at least 77 points in four of their last five games. With Alex Pribble as their head coach and Kristian Gonzalez as their leading scorer at 18 points per game, Idaho has a competent basketball team. Whether Idaho is feisty early on or manages to put up some points late, I expect the Vandals to lose by less than 24 points.
Still, Houston is a strong team, especially on defense. The Cougars rank second in the country in scoring defense (62.9 PPG allowed) and are 16th in defensive field goal percentage (40%).
They also keep unnecessary mistakes to a minimum. They’re third in the nation with a plus-5.2 turnover margin and are 13th with a 1.73 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Idaho put together an impressive run to get this point, but I expect that run to stop in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
