Houston vs. Tennessee: Picks, Predictions and Odds

We have a clash of titans in the Big 12 and SEC on our hands on Sunday in the Round of 8 of the NCAA Tournament, when the Houston Cougars take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tennessee has absolutely rolled through its first three opponents - Wofford, UCLA and Kentucky - thanks in large part to a couple of stifling defensive performances that completely neutralized all three teams. 

As for the Cougars, Kelvin Sampson’s team showed that it is well-equipped to handle whatever challenges are thrown its way, as Houston has survived back-to-back stern tests against the likes of Gonzaga and Purdue to advance to this point.

Can Tennessee finally advance to its first last four under head coach Rick Barnes, or will Houston continue its historic season and make it back to the last four for the second time in five seasons?

Let’s get into our expert’s Houston vs Tennessee picks, predictions and best bets for this Midwest Region NCAA Tournament Round of 8 matchup on Sunday.

Houston vs. Tennessee betting picks and predictions

Tennessee +4.5 (-118)

Outside of the top teams remaining in this field, Houston is probably the ideal opponent for the Volunteers, given that the Cougars play a style of basketball that Tennessee is certainly familiar with and can prepare for on a short turnaround.

Regardless of whether Tennessee wins this game or not, the value is certainly with the Volunteers catching this many points, especially since this profiles as a game that won’t feature many possessions.

After all, the total is currently listed in the 120s, which puts a premium on every point we can get with an underdog in this matchup. 

These teams play similar styles of basketball and given that Tennessee is playing as well as any team remaining in this tournament, it’s hard to ignore taking the points with an elite defense against an offense that can go through cold spells at points.

As long as Volunteers point guard Zakai Zeigler is playing well and commanding this offense, this Tennessee team has the capacity to beat almost any opponent.

All things considered, our expert is taking Tennessee +4.5 at -118 to cover as short underdogs in this game, making this our best bet on the proceedings.

Under 124.5 (-110)

At first glance, conventional wisdom would suggest that this total is a bit too low for a game between teams of this caliber.

However, despite it being an extremely low number, our expert could only look at the Under 124.5 at -110 in Saturday’s matchup. 

The Midwest Regional games are being played in Lucas Oil Stadium, which is not a venue that seems to produce plenty of scoring.

As shown in previous NCAA Tournament games taking place in these massive non-baseketball stadiums, the sight lines aren’t geared to suit shooters and teams generally tend to start off a bit slow. 

That was once again the case on Friday, as both Round of 16 games went under the total fairly easily.

Throw in the fact that this will be a high-pressure showdown between a pair of teams that boast elite defenses in all areas and you have a perfect recipe for a low-scoring affair on Sunday. 

Both Houston and Tennessee want to slow the game down to a halfcourt battle and both will be more than happy to focus on executing in the halfcourt and crashing the offensive glass at every opportunity.

Don’t expect either unit to get out and run, especially with tired legs coming into play once we hit the second half.  

There ordinarily would be concern for some Houston shooting regression after the Cougars shot poorly on Friday.

However, Tennessee's two-point and three-point defense is so elite that our expert trusts the Volunteers to run Houston off the line and force the Cougars into tough midrange shots more often than not. 

All things considered, the under is the only way our expert can look in this Midwest Regional Final.

Read more picks and predictions for College Basketball on site.

Houston vs Tennessee odds

Tennessee	+154 ML
Houston	-186 ML
Spread	Houston -4.5
Game Total	O/U 124.5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time