THE LINES
The No. 5 seed Houston Cougars (30-5) and the No. 4 seed Illinois Fighting Illini (23-9) play in the NCAA Tournament with a place in the Sweet 16 of the South Region bracket up for grabs on Sunday at , starting at 12:10 PM. Keep reading to find betting insights and statistics to help place a wager on the Cougars’ (-191 to win on the moneyline) matchup versus the Fighting Illini (+155).
Houston Offense Vs. Illinois Defense
| Houston Offense |
Stats (Rank) |
Illinois Defense |
| 76 (50) |
Points/Gm |
67.2 (117) |
| 65 (316) |
Possessions/Game |
68.3 (156) |
| 47.1 (35) |
Field Goal % |
41.2 (56) |
| 34.4 (138) |
3PT % |
31.9 (88) |
| 53.8 (39) |
Effective FG % |
45.9 (26) |
| 56.2 (70) |
True Shooting % |
49.7 (45) |
Illinois Offense Vs. Houston Defense
| Illinois Offense |
Stats (Rank) |
Houston Defense |
| 75.1 (65) |
Points/Gm |
59.1 (3) |
| 66.8 (242) |
Possessions/Game |
65.2 (34) |
| 45.1 (111) |
Field Goal % |
37.5 (1) |
| 36.3 (52) |
3PT % |
28.8 (10) |
| 52.8 (72) |
Effective FG % |
43.6 (4) |
| 56.1 (74) |
True Shooting % |
48.2 (15) |
Houston Betting Insights
- Houston has compiled a 23-12-0 record against the spread this season.
- When playing as at least 4.5-point favorites this season, the Cougars have an ATS record of 21-11.
- So far this season, 16 out of Houston’s 36 games have gone over the point total.
- Houston’s 36 games this season have gone over this contest’s total of 133 points 16 times.
- The average point total in Cougars contests this year is 133.4, 0.4 more points than this game’s over/under.
Illinois Betting Insights
- Illinois has put together a 13-19-0 ATS record so far this season.
- The Fighting Illini have been an underdog by 4.5 points or more this year once, and failed to cover the spread.
- So far this year, 17 out of Illinois’ 32 games with an over/under have hit the over.
- Illinois has played 21 games this season that ended with a point total above 133 points.
- The average over/under for Fighting Illini contests this season is 141.5, 8.5 more points than this game’s point total.
Houston Key Players
- The Cougars scoring leader is Kyler Edwards, who averages 13.9 points per game.
- Josh Carlton paces Houston with 6.3 rebounds per game and Jamal Shead leads the team with six assists per matchup.
- Edwards is the top three-point shooter for the Cougars, connecting on 2.6 per game.
- Shead leads the team with 1.6 steals per game. Fabian White Jr. collects 1.5 blocks a contest to pace Houston.
Illinois Key Players
- Kofi Cockburn holds the top Fighting Illini spot in two categories: scoring (21 points per game) and rebounding (10.7 rebounds per game).
- Trent Frazier puts in work dishing out assists and is Illinois’ assist leader with 4.1 per game.
- Alfonso Plummer leads the Fighting Illini in shooting from beyond the arc, averaging three made threes per game.
- Illinois’ Frazier has the top spot on the team’s steals leaderboard with 1.3 per game and Cockburn is first in blocks with one per game.