Drake Curse May Hit Houston in March Madness

The Houston Cougars may be in trouble in March Madness.

Famous rapper Drake crashed the team's party after it earned a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, showing his support for the team. However, that's not always a good sign when it comes to the rapper's fandom and betting history.

The "Drake Curse" has become a popular joke on social media, but there may be some truth to it as well. Could the Cougars be the latest team to suffer from the curse?

Houston Cougars Odds to Win 2024 NCAA Tournament

Houston is No. 2 in the odds to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament behind only the UConn Huskies, who are the defending national champions.

The Cougars are the No. 2 team in KenPom’s latest rankings, and they are a true title contender under Kelvin Sampson, featuring guards Jamal Shead and LJ Cryer, who are two of the best in the country.

The team did fail to win the Big 12 title, losing to No. 2-seeded Iowa State, who happens to be in the East Region with UConn in March Madness.

'Drake Curse' History

The "Drake Curse" is a a belief on the internet and social media that no matter the team -- or athlete -- that the famous rapper supports, they will end up losing.

There are a few examples that support this theory, although the rapper's hometown NBA team -- the Toronto Raptors -- won a NBA title with him sitting courtside at many home games in the playoffs during the 2018-19 season.

Here's a look at a few of the biggest "Drake Curse" moments, something that the Cougars are hoping to avoid.

Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury Boxing Match

Drake placed a $1.2 million bet on YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul to beat Tommy Fury in a boxing match, but Fury ended up coming away with a split decision victory.

Toronto Maple Leafs

A supporter of his hometown hockey team -- he's attended games in the playoffs before as well -- Drake has not seen the leafs advance far in the postseason in years.

In fact, the Leafs have just one appearance in the second round of the playoffs since 2004.

2019 College Football National Championship

The rapper motivated the Alabama Crimson Tide before the team's game against Clemson. It didn't work, though, as the Tigers defeated Alabama 44-16.

The Philadelphia 76ers

Drake was in his bag for this one, as it helped his real favorite team -- the Raptors -- advance in the playoffs.

He rocked 76ers gear during the game, as a way to have the curse effect the wrong team.

Toronto ended up winning the game on Kawhi Leonard's legendary game-winning corner fadeaway jumper.

Kentucky Wildcats

Drake infamously posed with the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team that nearly had a perfect season back in 2014-15 campaign, but the Wildcats lost to the Wisconsin Badgers in the Final Four.

That team featured future NBA players in Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles, Willie Cauley-Stein and Tyler Ulis. Still, the Wildcats didn't win the national title.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.