Two of the hottest teams in the country will meet Thursday night when the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats face No. 5 seed Houston in the Sweet 16 from AT&T Center in San Antonio.
The Wildcats (33-3) enter as 1.5-point favorites over the Cougars (31-5), the second-closest point spread among the eight Sweet 16 matchups. Only Texas Tech (-1) vs. Duke has a closer spread.
The over/under for the combined points between UA-Houston is set at 145.0.
Here are betting trends for each team ahead of the showdown.
Arizona
Arizona Wildcats guard Dalen Terry (4) and the team huddle a bit just before their turn on the court the day before going against the Houston Cougars in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
The Wildcats are 19-15-2 against the spread (ATS) during the 2021-22 season and ride an eight-game winning streak going into the Sweet 16.
In the month of March, the Cats are 4-4 ATS but haven’t covered in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament game. Arizona won 87-70 against Wright State in the first round after being listed as 21.5-point favorites, then needed OT to beat TCU 85-80 when it came in as a 9.5-point favorite.
Seven of the team’s last eight games have gone over the projected total and each of those eight have gone over 145 points. Arizona has scored 80 or more points in 13 of its last 15 matchups dating back to Feb. 7.
In neutral site games this season, Arizona is 7-0 straight up and 3-4 ATS.
Houston
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson talks to reporters during a press conference the day before they take on the Arizona Wildcats prior in the Sweet Sixteen at the AT&T Center, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
The Cougars are 24-12 ATS and have covered in nine of their last 10 games. Houston enters with a five-game win streak of its own and winners of 11 of its last 12.
In the month of March, Houston is 7-1 ATS, including a 71-53 win over Memphis to win the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament title. The Cougars have covered in both of their NCAA Tournament games, ousting No. 12 UAB 82-68 and No. 4 Illinois 68-53.
Six of the team’s last eight games have gone under the projected total with Houston’s stellar defense holding opponents in check. Teams facing Houston have scored 70 or more points just four times this season.
The Cougars are 8-1 straight up when playing at neutral sites and also 8-1 ATS.
