Houston vs Miami Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 24 NCAA Tournament Game (Can the Hurricanes Play Spoiler?)

Houston vs Miami Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Tournament Game
• No. 2 Houston (33-3) vs. No. 16 Miami (27-7)
• Date: Friday, March 24, 2023
• Time: 7:15 PM ET
• Venue: T-Mobile Center -- Kansas City, Missouri
• Coverage: CBS

The 2023 NCAA Tournament continues on Friday with a Sweet 16 matchup between the No. 5 Miami Hurricanes and No. 1 Houston Cougars. Miami is looking to get back to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season, while Houston is aiming to get past the Sweet 16 for the third season in a row.

Miami is coming off an 85-69 second-round victory over Indiana as Isaiah Wong balled out with 27 points (9-of-17 shooting) and 8 rebounds. Meanwhile, Houston pulled away from Auburn in an 81-64 win behind Tramon Mark's big night (26 points & 9 rebounds). Which team will advance with a win?

Houston vs Miami Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: HOU: (-285) | MIAMI: (+230)
• Spread: HOU: -6.5 (-115) | MIAMI: +6.5 (-105)
• Total: 137.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Houston enters this contest as a moderate favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This Sweet 16 clash also features an over/under of 137.5 points, with both sides available at -110 odds.

Houston vs Miami Betting Trends

• Houston's record against the spread is 19-17-0.
• Against the spread as 6.5-point favorites or more, the Cougars are 17-15.
• This year, 17 of Houston's 36 games have gone over the point total.
• Miami is 20-14-0 against the spread this season.
• The Hurricanes are unbeaten ATS (1-0) as a 6.5-point underdog or greater this season.
• There have been 15 Miami games (out of 34) that went over the total this season.

Houston vs Miami Prediction & Pick

This is an intriguing matchup as Houston and Miami differ when it comes to how they attack the game of basketball. The Cougars lean on their ability to defend as they rank second in defensive efficiency, while the Hurricanes lean on their ability to make shots as they rank eighth in offensive efficiency.

Houston has only lost three times this season and gave up more than 70 points in two of those three losses. Miami is going to do whatever it can to speed this game up and turn it into a back-and-forth shootout as a result. After all, the Hurricanes are 22-3 when scoring at least 74 points in a showdown.

Miami is also pesky on the defensive end, averaging 7.3 steals per game (No. 70 in NCAA) and only 14.3 personal fouls per game (No. 15 in NCAA). The Hurricanes have an opportunity to frustrate the Cougars with their quick hands and make it count with buckets on the other end. Give me an upset.

Final Score Prediction: Houston: 70 | Miami: 75

Houston vs Miami Best Bet

Bettors are going to be understandably hesitant to fade a No.1 seed here and back a +230 moneyline underdog. Trusting Miami to cover a 6.5-point spread is the best option here, anyways. Head coach Jim Larranaga's team is 7-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last eight games slated as an underdog.

Houston is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games as a favorite and 2-6 ATS in its last eight games overall. The trio of Wong, Nijel Pack and Norchad Omier gives Miami a chance to compete with any team in the country, especially one that has had to put together amazing second halves just to win in the tourney.

Bet: Miami Hurricanes +6.5 (-105)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.