Idaho vs. Houston Prediction, Odds, Key Player to Watch for NCAA Tournament 1st Round

Kingston Flemings and Houston are big favorites against Idaho.

Kingston Flemings and Houston are big favorites against Idaho. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The No. 2 seed Houston Cougars won five games in a row before falling to Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament championship game, and they’ll look to start the NCAA Tournament strong against No. 15 seed Idaho.

The Vandals won their final five games, including four in their conference tournament, to win the Big Sky and go dancing.

Houston made it to the NCAA title game last year, and it should be in the mix again for the Final Four – and beyond.

Let’s take a look at the odds, players to watch, and my prediction for this NCAA Tournament 1st Round matchup.

Idaho vs. Houston Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

• Idaho +23.5 (-110)
• Houston -23.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Idaho +2200
• Houston -7692

Total

• 136.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Idaho vs. Houston How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, March 18
• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Venue: Paycom Center
• How to Watch (TV): truTV
• Idaho record: 21-14
• Houston record: 28-6

Idaho vs. Houston Betting Trends

• Idaho is 16-16 ATS this season
• Houston is 16-18 ATS this season
• The UNDER is 19-13 in Idaho games this season
• The UNDER is 20-14 in Houston games this season

Idaho vs. Houston Key Players to Watch

Kingston Flemings, Guard, Houston Cougars

Kingston Flemings and Houston came up short in the conference title game as the freshman was held to just 8 points on 3 of 12 shooting, but he did put up 7 assists and 5 rebounds.

Flemings finished the season with 16.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game (45th-most in the nation). He’ll look to bounce back from a lackluster performance against Arizona in the opening round.

Idaho vs. Houston Prediction and Pick

Houston isn’t going to take anyone lightly in this tournament, especially coming off a loss. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I like the Cougars to cover a huge spread in the first round.

There are usually a lot of nerves in these early games, and that makes me like the UNDER even more. Both of these teams have trended that way this season, and I think that continues early on with Houston not giving Idaho much room to create offensively.

Pick: UNDER 136.5 (-115)

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