Pittsburgh hosts an intriguing matchup between Final Four hopefuls on Sunday. The Houston Cougars are the No. 5 seed in the South Region in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, and they face the No. 4 seed Illinois Fighting Illini in the second round. Houston held serve with a win over UAB in the opening round, improving to 30-5 this season. Illinois needed late heroics to survive an upset bid by Chattanooga, and the Fighting Illini are 23-9 overall.
Tipoff is at 12:10 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Cougars as 3.5-point favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 133.5 in the latest Houston vs. Illinois odds. Before making any Illinois vs. Houston picks in the NCAA Tournament 2022, make sure you check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Illinois vs. Houston and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2022. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of the model’s college basketball picks. Here are several college basketball odds and betting lines Houston vs. Illinois:
- Houston vs. Illinois spread: Houston -3.5
- Houston vs. Illinois over-under: 133.5 points
- Houston vs. Illinois money line: Houston -175, Illinois +150
- HOU: The Cougars are 8-1 against the spread in the last nine games
- ILL: The Fighting Illini are 2-8 against the spread in the last 10 games
Why Houston can cover
The Cougars are tremendous on defense, ranking No. 12 in the country in defensive efficiency. Houston holds opponents to 29.0 percent from 3-point range and 44.0 percent from two-point range, posting the No. 3 mark in the country in shooting efficiency allowed. The Cougars also force chaos with a 21.6 percent turnover rate and a 12.4 percent steal rate. Illinois commits a live-ball turnover on 9.3 percent of offensive possessions, and Houston is No. 3 in the country in block rate at 17.0 percent.
On the offensive side, Houston should benefit from Illinois being unable to force turnovers. The Illini rank outside the top 300 nationally in turnover creation rate and steal rate, with Houston above-average in ball security. Elsewhere, the Cougars make 55.1 percent of two-point attempts, a top-tier figure, and Houston is No. 4 in the country in offensive rebound rate at 37.6 percent for the full season.
Why Illinois can cover
Illinois ranks in the top 30 of the nation in both offense and defense. The Fighting Illini allow opponents to shoot only 45.0 percent on two-point attempts, a top-20 mark in the country, and Illinois also holds opponents to 32.1 percent on 3-point shots. Illinois has an impressive defensive rebound rate of 73.9 percent, and the Illini are above-average in free throw prevention and assist rate allowed.
On the other end, Illinois has a mauler in Kofi Cockburn, with the veteran center averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Illinois dominates the offensive glass in securing 33.2 percent of all missed shots, and the Fighting Illini are in the top 50 nationally in 3-point accuracy at 36.3 percent. Illinois is better than the national average in turnover rate, giving the ball away on only 17.8 percent of possessions, and the Illini are also in the top 40 nationally in assist percentage on offense.
How to make Houston vs. Illinois picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the point total, projecting 141 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Illinois vs. Houston? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.