Houston vs SIU-Edwardsville Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for NCAA Tournament First Round

The No. 16 SIU-Edwardsville Cougars (22-11) will be aiming to move on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament when they meet the top-seeded Houston Cougars (30-4) on Thursday. This 1-16 matchup in the Midwest Region bracket tips off at 2 p.m. ET.

Before you place your bet on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Houston vs. SIU-Edwardsville Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Thursday, March 20, 2025
• Game time: 2 p.m. ET
• TV channel: TBS
• Location: Wichita, Kansas
• Arena: INTRUST Bank Arena

Houston vs. SIU-Edwardsville Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Houston win (91.8%)

Before placing a wager on Thursday's Houston-SIU-Edwardsville spread (Houston -28.5) or total (126.5 points), see the betting trends and insights below.

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Houston vs. SIU-Edwardsville: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Houston has won 19 games against the spread this season, while failing to cover 14 times.
• SIU-Edwardsville is 17-13-0 ATS this season.
• The Houston Cougars own a worse record against the spread at home (10-7-0) than they do in road games (7-3-0).
• Against the spread, the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars have been better at home (8-4-0) than on the road (7-8-0).

Houston vs. SIU-Edwardsville: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Houston has come away with 28 wins in the 32 contests it has been listed as the moneyline favorite in this season.
• The Houston Cougars have not lost in three games this year when favored by -50000 or better on the moneyline.
• SIU-Edwardsville has put together a 4-5 record in games it was the underdog on the moneyline (winning 44.4% of those games).
• The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars have yet to play as a moneyline underdog of +5500 or longer.
• Houston has an implied victory probability of 99.8% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.

Houston vs. SIU-Edwardsville Head-to-Head Comparison

• Houston outscores opponents by 15.7 points per game (scoring 74.2 per game to rank 164th in college basketball while allowing 58.5 per outing to rank second in college basketball) and has a +535 scoring differential overall.
• LJ Cryer ranks 244th in college basketball with a team-high 15.2 points per game.
• SIU-Edwardsville puts up 72.6 points per game (213th in college basketball) while allowing 66.1 per contest (34th in college basketball). It has a +214 scoring differential and outscores opponents by 6.5 points per game.
• Ray'Sean Taylor leads SIU-Edwardsville, scoring 19.3 points per game (34th in college basketball).
• The Houston Cougars win the rebound battle by an average of 6.1 boards. They are collecting 32.7 rebounds per game (141st in college basketball) compared to their opponents' 26.6 per contest.
• J'wan Roberts is 256th in college basketball action with 6.3 rebounds per game to lead the Houston Cougars.
• The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars are 41st in the nation at 34.8 rebounds per game. That's 3.1 more than the 31.7 their opponents average.
• Ring Malith leads the team with 7.2 rebounds per game (139th in college basketball).
• Houston averages 102.3 points per 100 possessions on offense (41st in college basketball), and gives up 80.6 points per 100 possessions (second in college basketball).
• The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars rank 232nd in college basketball with 93.8 points scored per 100 possessions, and 17th defensively with 85.4 points conceded per 100 possessions.

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