Houston vs. Miami (FL) Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – NCAA Tournament Round Sweet 16

March 20, 2023, by Andy Molitor College Basketball Predictions

A Sweet 16 battle features the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars (33-3) and the No. 5 seed Miami Hurricanes (27-7) meeting with a place in the Midwest Region bracket final up for grabs on Friday at T-Mobile Center. Houston is a 7.5-point favorite in the NCAA Tournament contest, which begins at 7:15 PM on CBS. The matchup has an over/under of 139.5.

Houston vs. Miami (FL) Odds

Houston odds to win: -358
Miami (FL) odds to win: +287
Spread: Houston (-7.5)
Total: 139.5

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Game Time and Information

Date: Friday, March 24, 2023
Time: 7:15 PM ET
TV: CBS
Where: Kansas City, Missouri
Venue: T-Mobile Center

Who Will Win Houston vs. Miami (FL)?

Houston and Miami (FL) Betting Trends, Records Against the Spread

Houston has a 16-14-1 record against the spread in games it was favored by 7.5 points or more this season.

Between them, these two teams average 14.5 more points per game (154) than this matchup’s total (139.5).

Opponents of the two teams average a combined 11.3 fewer points per game (128.2) than this game’s total of 139.5 points.

The average over/under Houston has had set in matchups this season is 8.1 fewer points than this outing’s point total.

Hurricanes games this year have averaged an over/under of 150.6 points, 11.1 more than the point total in this matchup.

So far this season, the Cougars have put together a 19-16-1 record against the spread.

So far this season, the Hurricanes have compiled a 20-14-0 record against the spread.

Houston Stats & Insights

Houston’s +658 scoring differential (outscoring opponents by 18.3 points per game) is a result of scoring 74.9 points per game (98th in college basketball) while allowing 56.6 per contest (second in college basketball).

Houston is 14th in the nation at 35.9 rebounds per game. That’s 8.5 more than the 27.4 its opponents average.

The Cougars hit 1.4 more threes per contest than the opposition, 7.6 (149th in college basketball) compared to their opponents’ 6.2.

Houston ranks 19th in college basketball with 100.9 points scored per 100 possessions, and first in college basketball defensively with 76.2 points conceded per 100 possessions.

The Cougars are scoring 77.3 points per game at home. In road games, they are averaging 75.6 points per contest.

Miami (FL) Stats & Insights

Miami (FL)’s +256 scoring differential (outscoring opponents by 7.5 points per game) is a result of putting up 79.1 points per game (25th in college basketball) while giving up 71.6 per contest (228th in college basketball).

Miami (FL) ranks 134th in the nation at 32.4 rebounds per game. That’s 3.2 more than the 29.2 its opponents average.

Miami (FL) knocks down 7.6 three-pointers per game (149th in college basketball) compared to its opponents’ 7.6. It shoots 36.8% from deep, and its opponents shoot 33.4%.

Miami (FL)’s 101.7 points per 100 possessions on offense rank 12th in college basketball, and the 92 points it allows per 100 possessions rank 193rd in college basketball.

The Hurricanes score 83.4 points per game at home, and 75.2 on the road.

Houston Key Players to Watch

Marcus Sasser leads the Cougars in scoring, tallying 16.9 points per game to go with 2.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

J’wan Roberts is Houston’s leading rebounder, pulling down 7.8 per game, while Jamal Shead is its best passer, distributing 5.4 assists in each contest.

Sasser makes more threes per game than any other member of the Cougars, knocking down shots from beyond the arc at a clip of 2.7 per contest.

Shead and Roberts lead Houston on the defensive end, with Shead leading the team in steals averaging 1.8 per game and Roberts in blocks averaging 1.4 per contest.

Miami (FL) Key Players to Watch

Isaiah Wong racks up 16.1 points and tacks on 3.3 assists per game, putting him at the top of the Hurricanes’ leaderboards in those statistics.

Norchad Omier’s stat line of 10.1 rebounds, 13.4 points and 1.2 assists per game helps him grab the top spot on the Miami (FL) rebounding leaderboard.

Nijel Pack is the top scorer from the three-point line for the Hurricanes, hitting 2.4 threes per game.

Miami (FL)’s leader in steals is Wong (1.4 per game), and its leader in blocks is Omier (1.3 per game).