Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Torrey Patton
#2 Houston vs. #15 Cleveland St. Odds
| Projected Spread | Houston -18.1 | |
| Projected Total | 127.78 | |
| Projected ML | Houston -1582 | |
| Time | TBA | |
| TV | TBA | |
| Projected odds based on our initial PRO Projections. Odds will be added once they’re released. | ||
How Houston & Cleveland St. Match Up
| Houston | vs. | Cleveland St. |
| 327 | Tempo | 282 |
| 128 | eFG% | 132 |
| 57 | TO% | 161 |
| 2 | OR% | 77 |
| 169 | FTR | 163 |
| 1 | DeFG% | 124 |
| 42 | DTO% | 90 |
| 158 | DR% | 303 |
| 336 | DFTR | 296 |
| All stats via KenPom. | ||
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What To Know About Houston
There isn’t much that Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars don’t do well. They rank ninth in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom and are sixth overall. There’s really no weaknesses on a defense that has so much versatility and takes away everything in the paint. Houston is one of the country’s elite teams while playing at the 320th-ranked adjusted Ttmpo. Quentin Grimes is the leading scorer at 17.9 points for a team that is full of players between 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-8, including do-everything senior wing DeJon Jarreau, who recently recorded the first Cougar triple-double since Bo Outlaw in 1993.
They are also extremely well-schooled under Kelvin Sampson. And like most Sampson, they are absolutely fantastic on the offensive glass — despite lacking elite size. The Cougars’ size and athleticism will be a problem for any team, and they’re definitely going to be a contender for a Final Four run. Houston, we have a problem and it’s Houston for the rest of this field. — Matt Trebby
What To Know About Cleveland St.
Dennis Gates is one of the more underrated coaches in the country, so the Vikings have that going for them. I’m sure he will throw the kitchen sink at their first round opponent, especially with ample time to work on things after the Horizon title game on Tuesday night. After all, this is a CSU defense that will throw in zone and press at a decent clip. That said, this team just screams average in everything they do. CSU sags on the perimeter, so it gives up a ton of 3s. The Vikings just got fortunate most of the season when it came to opponents missing. They also just take so many bad shots. They pulled out so many close victories they had no business winning, including a triple overtime win over Fort Wayne in their first game of the conference tournament. They even banked in a three in double overtime to force that third extra frame.
The Vikings rank No. 1 in KenPom’s Luck metric and eighth-luckiest from a Shot Quality perspective. CSU is experienced and well-coached, but unless it can pull another rabbit out of its hat, I don’t envision them pulling off an upset as a 15 (maybe 14) seed. As I’ve mentioned before, I highly doubt we will see any 1 or 2 seeds go down in the first round this season. — Stuckey