The Arizona Wildcats and the Houston Cougars are on a collision course as the two heavyweights lock horns this Thursday in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Check out our preview below of this Arizona-Houston 2022 March Madness matchup.
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Betting Preview for the Arizona Wildcats vs Houston Cougars NCAA College Basketball Game on March 24 2022
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
When: Thursday, March 24, 2022, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Arizona Wildcats (odds) vs. Houston Cougars (odds) – view all 2022 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Arizona Wildcats (odds)
Record: 33-3 Overall/18-2 Conference
Bennedict Mathurin was not going to let his team make an early exit from the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats star pumped in 30 points, including some clutch baskets, to lead Arizona to an 85-80 win in the second round over the very game TCU Horned Frogs. The Wildcats were really tested by TCU, but Mathurin and Christian Koloko kept them in the game even when the Horned Frogs seemed to be on their way to pulling off an upset. Koloko had 28 points and 12 rebounds in 40 minutes. Arizona is averaging 84.6 points this season, thanks in large part to an unselfish system on offense. In fact, Arizona is No. 1 in the nation with 19.8 assists per game. With guys like Mathurin and Koloko plus the return of Kerr Kriisa, the Wildcats should be able to keep finding great scoring opportunities even against a tough defensive team like Houston.
Arizona, seventh nationally with 119.1 points per 100 possessions, is 5-5 against the spread in its last five games.
Betting on the Houston Cougars (odds)
Record: 28-7 Overall/16-4 Conference
Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars appear to be a team that is still being undervalued. Then again, they don’t really care about that as long as they keep on winning. Houston took down the Kofi Cockburn and the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second round, 68-53. Houston has been riding the success of its defense this season and it continues to do so in March. The Cougars held Illinois to only 40.0 effective field goal percentage. This season, Houston is third in the nation with 59.0 points allowed per game and third in opponents’ effective field goal percentage (43.6%). Illinois had 15 turnovers in the loss to the Cougars, which isn’t a good sign for Arizona, especially since the Wildcats are just 146th in the nation with a 15.7 turnover rate.
Houston is 9-1 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Houston wins, 72-70.
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