2 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for SIU-Edwardsville vs. Houston

Houston will take on SIU-Edwardsville in Thursday's first 1-versus-16 matchup, and as you would expect, the betting lines point to the 1 seed winning in a rout.

To see thoughts on other games, check out our full men's college basketball tournament predictions page. But for SIU-Edwardsville vs. Houston, here are my favorite bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball betting odds.

Betting Picks for SIU-Edwardsville vs. Houston

SIU-Edwardsville +28.5 (-104)

Houston is a -100000 moneyline favorite, so let's just say it would be a wee bit surprising to see the underdogs pull off an upset. That being said, winning by 29-plus points is quite a bit, and there could be value in backing SIU-Edwardsville to cover the lofty spread.

While Houston ranks 9th in adjusted offense, per Bart Torvik, they're just 164th in points per game (74.2). The reason for this is despite their brutal efficiency, they play at a snail's pace, ranking 360th in adjusted tempo.

In addition to playing slowly, this team also ranks just 315th in free throw rate and 296th in three-point rate. This team makes the most of its possessions, as they rate out well in three-point percentage (2nd), offensive rebound rate (15th), and turnover rate (25th), but their style isn't built to run up the score.

Of course, they plays this way because they're perhaps the best defensive team in the country, ranking first in adjusted defensive efficiency. This is biggest concern with backing an SIU-Edwardsville cover, as these lesser Cougars are just 265th in adjusted offense.

Still, with Houston's slow pace of play, even the slightest dip in offensive efficiency could keep them from winning this big. It also can't hurt that SIU-Edwardsville isn't a total pushover on defense, ranking 37th in effective field goal percentage defense.

Bart Torvik projects the 1 seed to win by 25 points, coming up a few points short of this line.

LJ Cryer Over 14.5 Total Points (-114)

The primary reason SIU-Edwardville rates well in effective field goal percentage defense is due to being 22nd in two-point percentage allowed. This could push Houston to rely heavily on three-pointers, which will mean a boatload of threes from LJ Cryer.

Cryer has been a marksman from beyond the arc throughout his career, and he's averaging 7.0 three-point attempts per game with a sparkling 42.2% three-point percentage in 2024-25.

He's averaging 15-plus points per game for the third straight campaign, and this season, he's reached that mark in 19 of 34 games (55.8%). Additionally, he's been a more consistent scorer down the stretch, scoring 15-plus points in 11 of his last 15 games (73.3%).

Even if SIU-Edwardsville is able to cover the spread, there's clearly plenty of blowout risk in this matchup, which could lead to Cryer getting rested toward the end. But someone will need to put up those points to reach that scenario, and it stands to reason that Houston's leading scorer should be the guy to rack up the points on Thursday.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.