Livescore
Top-tier programs meet at T-Mobile Center on Friday with a trip to the Midwest Region final in the balance. The No. 1 seed Houston Cougars face the No. 5 seed Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes in prime time in Kansas City. Houston is 33-3 overall, winning the AAC regular season title and toppling Northern Kentucky and Auburn in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Miami is 27-7 overall, winning the ACC regular season championship, and the Hurricanes are 11-2 in the last 13 games.
Tipoff is at 7:15 p.m. ET on CBS. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Cougars as 7-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 138 in the latest Miami vs. Houston odds. Before locking in any Houston vs. Miami picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters the Sweet 16 round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament 83-54 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning more than $1,500 for $100 players. It also went 4-1 on top-rated picks during the first week of March Madness. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Houston vs. Miami and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2023. You can head to SportsLine to see the picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Miami vs. Houston:
- Miami vs. Houston spread: Houston -7
- Miami vs. Houston over/under: 138 points
- Miami vs. Houston money line: Houston -340, Miami +270
- MIA: The Hurricanes are 6-4 against the spread in the last 10 games
- HOU: The Cougars are 4-6 against the spread in the last 10 games
- Miami vs. Houston picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Miami can cover
Miami’s offense is highly potent, including impressive balance. The Hurricanes have four players averaging at least 13 points per game this season, led by ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong. He is averaging 16.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season, including 27 points and eight rebounds in the second round win over Indiana. In the frontcourt, Norchad Omier is averaging 13.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 58% from the field, and Omier has 31 rebounds in two NCAA Tournament games.
As a team, Miami is in the top 10 of the country in scoring more than 1.14 points per possession, and the team’s shooting efficiency is excellent. Miami is making 77.4% of free throw attempts, 54.1% of 2-point attempts, and 36.8% of 3-point attempts this season, and the Hurricanes generate 14.6 assists per game. Miami is also committing a turnover on only 16.3% of possessions while securing more than 32% of missed shots on the offensive glass.
Why Houston can cover
Houston’s defense is tremendous in the aggregate this season. The Cougars have dominated during the tournament, holding Northern Kentucky to 27.5% shooting and 5-33 from 3-point range before allowing Auburn to convert only 37% of shots on the way to 64 points. Houston is in the top four of the country in defensive efficiency (87.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) and points allowed (56.6 per game), and the Cougars sit atop the country in multiple categories.
Kelvin Sampson’s team is No. 1 in the nation in field goal percentage defense, with opponents making only 36.1% of attempts. That includes top-five marks in 2-point defense (42.9%) and 3-point defense (27.4%), with Houston also leading the country with a 16.8% blocked shot rate. The Cougars also give up only 10.0 assists per game, and Houston is in the top tier of the country in turnover creation rate (21.5%), steal rate (12.4%), and defensive rebound rate (72.1%) this season.
How to make Houston vs. Miami picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 144 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Miami vs. Houston? And which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
Read the full article here
