Cleveland State vs. Houston Predictions, Odds, Preview

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Mar. 19, 2021

Dave Schwab
NCAA BK Expert
VegasInsider.com

Cleveland State vs. Houston Predictions

The Cougars have been opened as -19.5-point favorites for Friday night’s contest at 7:15 p.m. on truTV. The betting line for the total opened at 135 points.

Houston has been one of the hotter teams in the nation in the midst of a straight-up seven-game winning streak that ended with the American Athletic Conference Tournament title. The Cougars have gone 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games as double-digit favorites, and I have them covering the 20 points in this game as well.

With the total line set a bit lower than expected, I'm going with the OVER on the current number. Houston has scored 75 points or more in six of its last eight games.

• Score Prediction: Houston 82 Cleveland State 57
• Best Bets - Side: Houston -19.5
• Best Bets - Total: OVER 135

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Cleveland State vs. Houston Betting Odds

Line Movements

• Spread: Houston -19.5
• Total: 135
• Money-Line: Houston -5000 Cleveland State +1500

Odds to Win NCAA Tournament

• Cleveland State 500/1
• Houston 20/1

Odds to Win Midwest Region

• Cleveland State 100/1
• Houston 5/1

Odds Subject to Change

First Round Predictions

Friday's Early Action - Mar. 19 7 vs. 10 3 vs. 14 1 vs. 16 6 vs. 11 2 vs. 15 1 vs. 16 8 vs. 9 5 vs. 12

Handicapping Cleveland State vs. Houston

Cleveland State has definitely earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament field this season at 19-7 SU overall. It played one of its best games of the year to beat Oakland 80-69 in the Horizon League Tournament title game as a slight 2.5-point favorite.

While Houston’s overall strength of schedule has been called into question this season, this is still a team that can go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the nation.

The SU seven-game winning streak is another strong selling point for laying the points in Friday’s matchup. The Cougars are winning games in a decisive fashion behind a grinding defense that is holding opposing teams to just 57.9 points per game.

• Region: Midwest
• Matchup: 2 vs. 15
• Venue: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
• Location: Bloomington, Indiana
• Date: Mar. 19, 2021
• TV-Time: TruTV - 7:15 p.m. (ET)

Handicapping Resources: March Madness Central | NCAA Consensus Picks

Betting Stats & Analysis - Cleveland State Vikings

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

Cleveland State has an 8-3 record ATS in its last 11 games while going 9-2 SU. It has been able to cover in six of nine games this season closing as an underdog. It covered in its only two neutral-site games this year.

The total has gone OVER in nine of the Vikings’ last 12 games. It has also gone OVER in five of their last six March games.

Seed: 15
Conference: Horizon
Bid: Auto

• SU: 19-7
• ATS: 18-8
• O/U: 14-12

• Current Form (Last 5): 4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS, 3-2 O/U
• Notable Wins: None

• PS/G: 71.5 (172nd)
• PA/G: 70.6 (188th)
• Off Rtg: 103.2 (151st)
• Def Rtg: 101.9 (222nd)

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Betting Stats & Analysis - Houston Cougars

Houston is 13-4 ATS over its last 17 contests, but it falls to 2-4 ATS in its last six games played on a Friday. It is 18-8 ATS as a favorite this season and 3-1 ATS in four previous games played at a neutral site.

The total has gone OVER in eight of the Cougars’ last 11 games. It went OVER in two of its recent three postseason contests.

Seed: 2
Conference: AAC
Bid: Auto

• SU: 23-3
• ATS: 18-8
• O/U: 13-13

• Current Form (Last 5): 5-0 SU, 3-2 ATS, 3-2 O/U
• Notable Wins: Boise State, Texas Tech, Wichita State

• PS/G: 77.6 (44th)
• PA/G: 57.9 (2nd)
• Off Rtg: 116.5 (5th)
• Def Rtg: 86.8 (4th)

First Round Predictions

Friday's Late Action - Mar. 19 4 vs. 13 8 vs. 9 2 vs. 15 4 vs. 13 7 vs. 10 6 vs. 11 3 vs. 14 5 vs. 12

Key Players to Watch

Guard Torrey Patton leads the Vikings in both points (14.9) and rebounds (8.0) a game. He is shooting 46.9% from the field. Guards’ Tre Gomillion and D’Moi Hodge are each adding 10.5 points to the team’s 71.5-point scoring average.

Guard Quentin Grimes has been the Cougars’ top scorer this season with 18 points per game. He is shooting 40.8% from three-point range. Guard Marcus Sasser is next on the list with 13.7 PPG, and forward Justin Gorham is Houston’s leading rebounder with nine a game.

• CLEV - Torrey Patton (14.9 PPG, 8 RPG)
• CLEV - Tre Gomillion (10.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG)

• UH - Quentin Grimes (18 PPG, 6 RPG)
• UH - Marcus Sasser (13.7 PPG)

March Madness Records & Trends

Cleveland State Vikings

• All-Time Record: 3-2
• Last Appearance: 2009
• Deepest Run: Sweet 16 (1986)

--Cleveland State has won three of its last five NCAA Tournament games.
-- Cleveland State has won three straight NCAA Tournament games when facing a school seeded No. 6 or lower.
-- Cleveland State has lost two straight NCAA Tournament games when facing a school seeded No. 7 or higher.
-- Cleveland State has won its first game in two straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
-- Cleveland State has covered the spread in eight of its last 11 games.
-- Cleveland State has covered the spread in six of its last nine games when playing as the underdog.
-- Cleveland State has gone UNDER the point total in three straight games after going OVER the point total the game prior.

Houston Cougars

• All-Time Record: 29-26
• Last Appearance: 2019
• Deepest Run: Front Runner-up (1984)

--Houston has failed to reach the Sweet 16 in five of its last six NCAA Tournament appearances.
-- Houston has lost its first game in four of its last six NCAA Tournament appearances.
-- Houston has lost by five points or less in four of its last five NCAA Tournament games in which they are eliminated.
-- Houston has gone OVER the point total in eight of its last 11 games.
-- Houston has covered the spread in 13 of its last 17 games when playing as the favorite.

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