Best College Basketball Prop Bets for Texas A&M vs. Houston in NCAA Tournament Second Round
By Reed Wallach
Houston and Texas A&M face on Sunday night with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
Two of the best rebounding teams and physical defenses face off in a rematch from a November matchup that the No. 1 seed Cougars won by four on a semi neutral site against the No. 9 seed Aggies. With a defensive minded affair expected, how should we attack this from a player prop perspective?
I got you covered with my three favorite player props for Houston vs. Texas A&M with an eye on Wade Taylor IV, Tyrece Radford and Jamal Shead
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Best College Basketball Player Prop Bets for Texas A&M vs. Houston
- Wade Taylor OVER 16.5 Points
- Tyrece Radford OVER 6.5 Rebounds
- Jamal Shead UNDER 13.5 Points
Wade Taylor IV OVER 16.5 Points
Taylor scored more points than any other player against Houston’s top ranked defense in the first meeting between the two, hanging 34 points on the Cougars. While he may not do that again, I like him to clear this mark with his propensity to get to the free throw line and his overall shot volume.
Taylor takes more than five free throws per game and makes them at an 84% clip. In a game that will be incredibly physical, I expect him to force the issue by initiating contact. Houston is outside the top 300 in free throw rate allowed, and the Aggies are 54th in overall free throw rate as well, led by Taylor.
The guard has been hot from the perimeter, fresh off seven made three-point shots against Nebraska, and Houston’s aggressive trapping defense will leave guys open on the back-side, 288th in three-point rate allowed, so Taylor may be able to get free for a few perimeter shots as well.
Given his likely volume, I like Taylor to flirt with 20 points again.
Tyrece Radford UNDER 6.5 Rebounds
Radford didn’t play in the first game against Houston, and I’m looking to target him as a rebounder. While Texas A&M has plenty of rotation players who crash the glass, Radford has a real nose for the ball, averaging six rebounds per game despite being a 6’3” guard.
The Virginia Tech transfer has gone over this mark in eight straight games, and while there is a lot of love for Houston’s offensive rebounding, the team’s defensive rebounding is a big issue against the top offensive rebounding unit in the country.
Houston’s aggressive defense leaves the team scrambled on that side of the floor, and it shows in the numbers. Houston is 221st in defensive rebounding, which can be a big issue against the likes of Radford.
Jamal Shead UNDER 13.5 Points
Texas A&M’s zone defense is comfortable letting teams shoot from the perimeter, 350th in three-point rate allowed. Houston’s leading ball handler, Shead, isn’t known for his perimeter prowess, and I believe he will be tasked with opening up shot pockets for more dangerous shooters like LJ Cryer (39% from beyond the arc) and Emmanuel Sharp (36%).
Shead scored 12 points in the first meeting against Texas A&M while dishing out eight assists and I don’t believe the 32% three-point shooter will be interested in taking too many three’s in what should be a low possession defensive slugfest.
I’ll go under on Shead’s points given this matchup.
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