Cleveland State vs. Houston odds: Houston heavily favored in first round

Previewing Cleveland State Vikings vs. Houston Cougars odds and lines during their March Madness Round 1 matchup.

The Cleveland State Vikings (19-7) meet the Houston Cougars (24-3) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. on Friday for a 7:15 p.m. ET tip-off.

Below, we look at the early March Madness Round 1 matchup Cleveland State-Houston odds and lines. Will one of these teams end up as this year’s National Champion? Don’t forget to check out all of the teams’ March Madness odds.

Cleveland State won the Horizon League automatic bid with an 80-69 victory over Oakland University Tuesday. The Vikings have rattled off four consecutive victories, while covering three of those games. Cleveland State also played two-seed Ohio State very close earlier this season, falling 67-61 in Columbus as 23-point underdogs on Dec. 13.

The Vikings posted a 15-7-1 ATS mark overall, with the Over/Under splitting 11-11-1. Cleveland State is also 7-1 ATS in the past eight as an underdog, and 4-0 ATS in the past four neutral-site battles.

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Houston rolled up a 91-54 victory over Cincinnati in the AAC Final on Sunday, officially punching its ticket to the Big Dance. The Cougars have won seven straight games while covering five of those outings since their last setback at Wichita State on Feb. 18. The Cougars lost just three games this season, all on the road.

The Cougars posted a 16-7 ATS mark overall, with the Under edging the Over 12-11. Houston has covered 12 of the past 16, and they’re 6-1 ATS in the past seven neutral-site games.

Cleveland State vs. Houston: Odds, spread and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 6:35 a.m. ET.

  • Money line: Cleveland State +1300 (bet $100 to win $1,300) | Houston -3000 (bet $3,000 to win $100)
  • Against the spread/ATS: Cleveland State +20 (-110) | Houston -20 (-110)
  • Over/Under: 134.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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