The No. 5 seed Houston Cougars (31-5) and No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats (33-3) will scratch and claw in a South Region Sweet 16 matchup Thursday. Tip-off from AT&T Center in San Antonio is scheduled for 9:59 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Houston vs. Arizona odds and lines; check back for our college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Houston made it through the opening week of the tourney with victories over UAB (82-68 Friday) and Illinois (68-53 Sunday). The No. 15 team in the nation plays a slow-down style. The Cougars are 11-1 over their last 12 games and have held foes fewer than 60 points in six of those wins.
Arizona advanced with wins over Wright State (87-70 Friday) and TCU (85-80 Sunday). The Wildcats needed overtime to get by TCU on Sunday. The nation’s No. 2-ranked team plays at an ultra-fast pace, and they use those extra possessions to their advantage. UA owns the NCAA-I’s ninth most effective field-goal mark (55.9%) on offense and the fourth-best mark on defense (44.1%).
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Houston vs. Arizona odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 10:10 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Houston +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Arizona -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Houston +1.5 (-103) | Arizona -1.5 (-117)
- Over/Under (O/U): 145.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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2021-22 betting stats (including postseason):
- ML: Houston 31-5 | Arizona 33-3
- ATS: Houston 24-12 | Arizona 20-15-1
- O/U: Houston 15-19-2 | Arizona 21-15
Houston vs. Arizona head-to-head
Houston and Arizona have meet six times since 1994. The Wildcats won five of those meetings, including the last three which were in 2006, 2008, and 2009.
The Cougars are 9-4 in tournament play since 2000. They’ve made the region semifinals in each of the last two tournaments.
Arizona is looking to make its first region semifinal since 2017. UA is 32-17 in NCAA games this century.
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