Is anyone just a little excited yet? We continue our march madness odds series, with another Friday night first-round matchup between the Blazers of UAB and the Cougars of Houston. At first glance, this should be an entertaining game with lots to look forward to from a betting perspective! Without further ado, let's dive into our UAB-Houston prediction and pick.
UAB enters this matchup winning the Conference USA championship and are going dancing for the first time since 2015. The Blazers' record was astounding in 2021-2022, as UAB managed to reach 27 wins while going 14-4 in conference play. If you're looking for a team to root for that runs a high-octane offensive attack through their guards and flies around on defense, then UAB may be the upset pick for you!
Historically, the infamous five-seed versus 12-seed contests have been memorable, including at least one 12-seed winning in the past 31 of 36 NCAA tournaments. Houston should be well aware of this stat, as the Final Four team from a year ago will look to avoid a first-round exit and finish what they started last season.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the UAB-Houston odds:
March Madness odds: UAB-Houston Odds
UAB: +8.5 (-110)
Houston: -8.5 (-110)
Over: 135.5 (-110)
Under: 135.5 (-110)
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Why UAB Could Cover the Spread
Don't you dare think that UAB is composed of scrubs, as the Blazers are a solidified crew capable of shocking the college basketball universe. Yes, they may lack the size to compete with some of the big boys, but their guard play more than makes up for their shortcomings down on the block. Plus, having the Conference USA Player of the Year in Jordan Walker always helps things a bit, and a game-changer of that magnitude can change the tide of a game almost instantly. In previous NCAA Tournaments, Cinderella teams thrive on clutch performances and usually rely on their star players to play the best games of their careers.
Unveiling Exhibit A, as Walker may in fact be the best player on the floor when these two squads suit up for action. Walker is averaging 20.1 PPG and is dishing out 4.8 APG as well. Another name to keep an eye out for if the Blazers are going to cover the spread is Ole Miss transfer forward K.J. Buffen, who contributed greatly in his team's victorious triumph against Louisiana Tech with 13 points on 4/9 shooting from the field. The Blazers are 5-1 ATS as underdogs in their previous six matchups.
Why Houston Could Cover the Spread
The American Champs experienced another successful season, going 29-5 (15-3) and narrowly lost to current March Madness bound teams Wisconsin and Alabama. Houston is returning a bulk of their starters from the 2020-2021 team, so the savvy veteran Cougars should use their experience as a major advantage against lesser mature teams. The Cougars are a pick by many to make a deep run once again, and it's well deserved based on their last couple of seasons of success. The five-seed in the South region have won at least one game in their past three NCAA Tournaments and are coming off its first regular-season title and conference title since 1992.
One stat that jumps out on paper is Houston's extreme efficiency on the defensive side of the court, holding opponents to an absurd 58.9 PPG, the fourth-fewest in the entire nation. While defense may be the name of their game, don't sleep on the Cougars scoring capability to shoot the rock. Leading scorer Kyler Edwards has the swagger to drop buckets, as the senior guard is averaging 13.6 PPG and had a splendid 20 point outing versus Tulane in the C-USA semifinal. Edwards will be for sure looking to leave an impact playing in his final games as a Cougar, as anything short of another Final Four run will be looked upon as a disappointment. The Cougars are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall.
Final UAB-Houston Prediction & Pick
Unfortunately for the Blazers, Houston is an experienced led squad eager to get back to where they were during last season's NCAA Tournament, and the roster's depth is too difficult for UAB to infiltrate successfully. The Blazers have had an incredible campaign, but Houston's upper-tier defense will suffocate UAB's spark to ignite an upset.
Final UAB-Houston Prediction & Pick: Houston -8.5 (-110)
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