Houston March Madness Schedule: (When Do the Cougars Play Next?)

The No. 5 Houston Cougars take on the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, March 24th, at 9:59 p.m. EST.

Houston hasn't had much trouble in the NCAA Tournament to this point, easily dispatching UAB and pulling away late to take down Illinois. But they Cougars will face their stiffest test yet in the Wildcats.

Can the Cougars stay hot against one of the best teams in the tournament? Let's check out their schedule and odds for their Sweet 16 matchup with Arizona, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook:

Houston March Madness Schedule

Houston will face Arizona on Thursday at 9:59 p.m. EST in the Sweet 16. If the Cougars win, they'll take on the winner of No. 2 Villanova vs No. 11 Michigan.

Houston vs Arizona Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

• Houston +1.5 (-110) 
• Arizona -1.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Houston: +105
• Arizona: -125

Total:

• 145 (Over -110/Under -110)

Houston vs Arizona Prediction and Pick

BetSided's Reed Wallach wrote up a preview for this matchup and here's what he had to say:

"This is a treat for us college hoops fans as this is sure to be the highest level game to date. While Arizona is favored by a bucket, I'm not sure I can back them given the issues they had containing TCU on the offensive glass in the Round of 32.

"The Horned Frogs posted a 40% offensive rebounding percentage (20) and got to the line 30 times. To be fair, TCU is the best offensive rebounding team in the country, but Houston is third and is far better on offense, 10th in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom.

"The two teams play polar opposite styles. Arizona relies on their athleticism on the perimeter to run up and down the floor and use their skilled big men to finish inside (top five in 2-point percentage).

"Meanwhile, the Cougars are bottom 25 in the country in adjusted tempo according to KenPom and shut off the interior for their opponents, top 10 in defending the interior and limit teams from scoring inside (19th lowest percentage of points allowed on 2's). Yes, Arizona is very skilled, but Houston is a souped up version of TCU, who just took them to overtime.

"Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is a year removed from a Final Four appearance and has his team humming on both sides of the ball, while first year head coach Tommy Lloyd has a dynamic team that began to look a bit tight as we went into the final stages of the TCU game. If not for a Benedict Mathurin three from deep, the Wildcats would be eliminated.

"I don't have a confident feel for this one, but a key point for me is the free throw shooting for Houston, 66% as a team and 327th in the nation and the team's suspect shot creation. Arizona has a stable of bigs that also contain the perimeter. Can Houston generate enough offense?

"In a game that may have some nerves given the big game feel and the immense size of both teams, I'd lean towards the under."

LEAN: UNDER 145

You can find all of Reed's bets HERE!

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