Betting Houston Cougars Alternate Spread, Under vs Miami

  • The Houston Cougars are 7-point favorites against the Miami Hurricanes.
  • This Sweet Sixteen matchup predicts a total score of 138.0 with -110 odds to go either way.
  • A parlay of Houston -4.5 and Under 138.0 has +197 odds.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The battle between Houston’s stout defense and Miami’s potent offense will make it difficult for bettors to choose a team. Houston (-320) is the reliable pick, only losing three games all season. The Hurricanes will look to keep the momentum from their 85-69 victory over the No. 4 seed Indiana Hoosiers and try to pull the upset.

This game will be a battle of efficiency. Houston ranks second in defensive efficiency amongst all qualifying Division-1 schools. Miami (FL) ranks eighth in the country in offensive efficiency, while the Cougars rank fourth.

Houston’s combination of top-five offensive and defensive efficiency is problematic for a Miami squad that likely needs to score over 70 points to cover as 7-point underdogs.

The Miami Hurricanes are coming off a strong victory where they exposed the Indiana Hoosiers in the round of 32, scoring 85 points in a decisive victory.

Indiana is a great team offensively, but they rank 102 in defensive efficiency.

In their first-round matchup against No. 12 seed Drake, Miami pulled away at the end to win 63-56. Drake ranks 17 in the nation in defensive efficiency, higher than championship-hopeful teams such as Texas and Kansas State.

While Drake allows an impressive 64.4 points per game, Houston is only allowing 56.6.

An analysis of the Miami-Drake matchup gives value to the under at 138.0 on March Madness betting sites for a similar Sweet Sixteen matchup against Houston.

It’s also worth noting that the under is 32-16 in the 48 March Madness games played thus far.

Advertising Disclosure

USAOnlineSportsbooks.com provides you with the most current information regarding sports betting and fantasy with the help of commissions we receive from links you may click on our site.

Houston Alternate Spread of -4.5 (-180) vs Miami

Miami has been great when predicted to lose, going 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as an underdog.

Betting on a five seed historically has not been profitable, especially to win outright. In the last 10 tournaments, a No. 5 seed has advanced to the Elite Eight only twice.

Although Miami’s +260 money line odds on online sportsbooks are enticing, the Hurricanes would need to overcome a trend in which only five percent of teams in their situation have been successful.

Houston is plenty talented enough to beat Miami by seven points; however, choosing an alternate spread of -4.5 is much more secure based on Miami’s recent good play as an underdog.

When an alternate line of Houston -4.5 is parlayed with the under at 138.0, the bet has +197 odds. The Cougars are in a great position to cover the alternate spread (-4.5) and cash the under by neutralizing the Miami offense.