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 trying to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament when they square off against 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 matchup 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 (91.9%)

Take a look at the betting trends and insights below before placing a wager on Thursday's Houston-SIU-Edwardsville spread (Houston -28.5) or over/under (126.5 points).

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

• Houston has put together a 19-14-0 ATS record so far this year.
• SIU-Edwardsville has won 17 games against the spread this year, while failing to cover 13 times.
• The Houston Cougars have covered the spread in a lower percentage of their home games than road games. They have covered 10 times in 17 games when playing at home, and they've covered seven times in 10 games on the road.
• Against the spread, the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars have been better at home (8-4-0) than away (7-8-0).

Houston vs. SIU-Edwardsville: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Houston has been the moneyline favorite in 32 games this season and has come away with the win 28 times (87.5%) in those contests.
• The Houston Cougars have yet to lose in three games when named as moneyline favorite of -50000 or better.
• SIU-Edwardsville has put together a 4-5 record in games it was listed as the moneyline underdog (winning 44.4% of those games).
• The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars have never played a game this season with moneyline odds of +5500 or longer.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies Houston has a 99.8% chance of walking away with the win.

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

• Houston is outscoring opponents by 15.7 points per game with a +535 scoring differential overall. It puts up 74.2 points per game (164th in college basketball) and allows 58.5 per contest (second in college basketball).
• LJ Cryer's team-leading 15.2 points per game ranks 244th in the country.
• SIU-Edwardsville outscores opponents by 6.5 points per game (posting 72.6 points per game, 213th in college basketball, and conceding 66.1 per contest, 34th in college basketball) and has a +214 scoring differential.
• Ray'Sean Taylor leads SIU-Edwardsville, averaging 19.3 points per game (34th in college basketball).
• The 32.7 rebounds per game the Houston Cougars average rank 141st in college basketball, and are 6.1 more than the 26.6 their opponents pull down per contest.
• J'wan Roberts' 6.3 rebounds per game lead the Houston Cougars and rank 256th in college basketball play.
• The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars rank 41st in the country at 34.8 rebounds per game. That's 3.1 more than the 31.7 their opponents average.
• Ring Malith paces the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars with 7.2 rebounds per game (139th in college basketball).
• Houston averages 102.3 points per 100 possessions (41st in college basketball), while allowing 80.6 points per 100 possessions (second in college basketball).
• The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars rank 232nd in college basketball averaging 93.8 points per 100 possessions on offense, and defensively are 17th, allowing 85.4 points per 100 possessions.

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