The second-seeded Houston Cougars are making a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since the early 1980s and will take on the No. 15 seed Cleveland State Vikings in a Midwest Region first-round matchup on Friday. The Cougars (24-3) are riding a seven-game winning streak capped by a 37-point win over Cincinnati in the championship game of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. The Vikings advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 by capturing the Horizon League Tournament title.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. Awaiting the winner in the second round will be either Clemson or Rutgers. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Cougars as 20-point favorites, while the over-under for total points scored is 134.5 in the latest Houston vs. Cleveland State odds. Before making any Cleveland State vs. Houston picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned almost $500 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Houston vs. Cleveland State in the NCAA Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Cleveland State vs. Houston:
- Houston vs. Cleveland State spread: Houston -20
- Houston vs. Cleveland State over-under: 134.5 points
- Houston vs. Cleveland State money line: Houston -4000; Cleveland State +1400
- HOU: The Cougars are 11-0 when G Quentin Grimes scores at least 20 points
- CLEVEST: The Vikings are 19-4 since starting the season 0-3
Why Houston can cover
Leading scorer Quentin Grimes has been on a 3-point shooting binge over the last five weeks of the season, knocking down nearly 50 percent of his attempts (42-of-85) over his last nine games. Not only did he average 21.4 points over that span but the conference Player of the Year shot 48.7 percent overall from the floor in Houston's run to the AAC Tournament title. Grimes also averaged 6.3 rebounds during the regular season, second on the team.
While the Cougars averaged 81.3 points in the conference tourney, they have been an elite defensive club all season, ranking No. 2 nationally by holding opponents to 57.9 points per game. Houston also leads the nation in field goal percentage defense (37.0) and held Cincinnati to 18-of-65 shooting in the AAC title game. The Cougars also are relentless on the backboards, ranking sixth in the country with 41.1 rebounds per game.
Why Cleveland State can cover
Senior guard/forward Torrey Patton topped the Vikings in scoring during the regular season with an average of 14.0 points, but he went on a tear during the Horizon League Tournament. The 6-foot-5 Patton averaged 22.3 points and 12.0 rebounds while shooting better than 50 percent from the floor (26 of 51) in the run to the Horizon tourney championship. He carries a streak of four straight double-doubles into the NCAAs.
Junior guard Tre Gomillion also has elevated his play over the past four games, shooting over 50 percent in each while averaging 18.0 points -- nearly double his regular-season average -- and notching a pair of double-doubles. The hot streak followed a three-game stretch in which Gomillion managed a total of 19 points and 12 rebounds. Cleveland State is holding opponents to 30.8 percent shooting from 3-point range.
How to make Cleveland State vs. Houston picks
The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 142 points. It also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Cleveland State vs. Houston? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
