The Sweet 16 is set, and in Kansas City we have No. 1 seed Houston and No. 5 seed Miami, two teams looking to head back to the Elite 8 for the second straight year.
Houston struggled but survived in the opening round against Northern Kentucky; they trailed Auburn by 10 at the half in the second round but turned up the defensive intensity, holding the Tigers to just four made field goals in the second half. The offense followed suit with a 50-23 second half to advance to their fourth straight Sweet 16.
Miami needed a comeback of its own against Drake in the opening round, but took care of business against Indiana in the Round of 32. The Hurricanes nearly led wire-to-wire and pulled away late to beat the Hoosiers 85-69. Miami made the Elite 8 last year for the first time in program history.
Read on for more information on my Houston vs Miami best bets and predictions.
Houston vs Miami Odds
- Moneyline: Houston (-285) • Miami (+240)
- Spread: Houston -7 (-110) • Miami +7 (-110)
- Total: Over 137 (-110) • Under 137 (-110)
Note: CBB odds mentioned in this article for Houston vs Miami were used from DraftKings Sportsbook, unless otherwise noted, and are current as of Monday, March 20, at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Houston vs Miami Pick of the Day
Keep reading for more on this CBB bet of the day and more Houston vs Miami betting tips.
Houston vs Miami Prediction
Houston 72, Miami 61
In a battle of experienced teams and excellent guard play, Houston will pull away late in the game and grab the win behind one of the best defenses in the nation.
Houston’s biggest problem lies in the injury concerns to star guards Jamal Shead (knee) and Marcus Sasser (groin), but both looked healthy enough in their second-round game. Sasser scored 22 points on five threes with Shead settling into more of a distributor role with a team-high five assists.
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Junior Tramon Mark scored a season-high 26 points, and the Cougars had arguably the most dominant half of the tournament, coming back from double digits at the half to cruise to a 17-point win.
Miami has excellent guard play in Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack and has plenty of experience, but they haven’t seen a team like Houston this season. They fared well in the ACC and took care of business against Indiana, but the Cougars are a whole different beast.
Miami just doesn’t have the defensive prowess to handle the efficient Houston offense, and the Cougars will be able to take Miami out of their element with debilitating defensive pressure.
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Houston vs Miami Best Bets
Under 137 Total Points • DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
Houston plays at one of the country’s slowest tempos, and they can control the tempo of this game and get Miami out of their comfort zone.
It’s going to be a grind for Miami to score every time down, and Houston has had their share of offensive struggles in three of the four halves they’ve played in the NCAA tournament.
The extra couple of days of preparation time favor the defense in my opinion, and this game settles into a slow, grinding battle that ends up going Under the total.
Houston -7 (-110) • DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
Houston is too talented and matches up with Miami quite well. Their impressive backcourt defense will neutralize Miami’s guard play.
With an extra couple of days of rest for Sasser and Shead to get healthy, Houston will be able to do enough offensively to control the game throughout.
The experience and talent will show up late as Houston pulls away to win by double digits and advance to their third straight Elite 8.
