Houston vs Syracuse Bet: 2021 March Madness Sweet 16 Pick. The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is in the books and we are onto the Sweet 16! Arguably the most well-respected double-digit-seeded team remaining in Syracuse is featured in this matchup.
Houston cruised to an easy win over Cleveland State, then barely edged out Rutgers in the Second Round. Syracuse has been the lower seed in both of their NCAA Tournament matchups, defeating both San Diego State and West Virginia.
What can we expect from either team in this Houston vs Syracuse Bet matchup? Let’s take a look.
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Houston vs Syracuse Bet: 2021 March Madness Sweet 16
Houston Cougars (-6) vs. Syracuse Orange
Syracuse +6 (-109) at PointsBet
(Odds current as of Tuesday, March 23.)
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Jim Boeheim has his team peaking at the right time. While Houston benefits from having extra days to prepare for Syracuse’s zone defense, I don’t think it’ll be enough for them to cover six points.
The Orange have shot lights out in the tournament, connecting on 29-58 from behind the arc. This includes the coach’s son Buddy Boeheim shooting 13-of-23 from three-point range en route to 55 total points. He will match up against Houston’s Quentin Grimes, who is the best individual player in this game. However, due to Syracuse’s zone defense, they don’t need to win a 1-on-1 battle with him.
In the end, the X-factor really is three-point shooting. While Houston defeated Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights hit 43.8% of their long-range shots.
Houston is not a bad defense by any means, but will they be able to shut Syracuse down if the tempo picks up? I don’t think so, which is why I think the underdog covers, if not outright wins.
Even if your bracket is already busted, you can still get in the game. Read all of our 2021 March Madness betting picks and 2021 NCAA Tournament predictions.
