Houston vs Longwood betting odds, predictions, pick and promos
THE NCAA tournament is off to the races with the first day of matchups living up to the hype. Still, many of the top contenders have yet to show what they can do and this is the case with the Houston Cougars.
They enter the tournament with the second-best odds of cutting down the nets but will kick off their journey by facing 16-seeded Longwood in the opening round. The Lancers punched their ticket to the big dance by winning the Big South Conference Tournament, but face a difficult first-round draw. These two teams will face off in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Houston (1) vs Longwood (16) preview
Houston sits at the forefront of the conversation of teams with the best chance to win the entire tournament and for good reason. The Cougars went 30-4 in the regular season and 15-3 in conference play which was the best record in the Big 12.
They have held opponents to the fewest points per game of any team in the country by allowing just 57.0 points per game throughout the year. They also forced opponents into the worst shooting percentage in all of college basketball, ranked 1st in defensive rating, and limited opposing teams to 50 or fewer points 11 times this season.
There is still plenty of reason to be excited about Houston on the offensive side of the ball as well. They take incredible care of the ball, turning it over just 8.9 times per game which is the 6th-best rate in college basketball. Houston is led by a trio of guards in LJ Cryer, Jamal Shead, and Emanuel Sharp, each averaging 12.2 or more points per game. J’Wan Roberts leads the team in rebounding and averages 9.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Houston finished the season as the top-ranked team in the NET Rankings. They went 16-4 against Quad 1 opponents and 14-0 against every other team. Their most impressive victories this season were over Kansas, Iowa State, and Baylor. Their four losses came at the hands of Kansas, TCU, and Iowa State twice. Kelvin Sampson has a deep group, loaded with athletes, and will be looking to be crowned as the first NCAA Tournament championship in program history.
Led by head coach Griff Aldrich, there is not quite as bright of an outlook for Longwood. The Lancers went 21-13 in the regular season and just 6-10 in Big South Conference play before catching fire and winning the conference tournament. They also rely on their defense to win games, holding opponents to 67.9 points per game which ranks 67th in the country. The Lancers also rank 48th in defensive rating.
Longwood has more issues on the offensive end as they have produced 75.6 points per game this season which ranks 115th in the country. They make most of their offensive impact from inside the three-point arc as they rank 31st in two-point attempts per game but attempt the 20th-fewest long-range shots of any Division 1 team. The Lancers are led in scoring by senior guard Walyn Napper who has averaged 14.6 points, 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. Michael Christmas, Jonathan Massie, and Szymon Zapala each also add 9.9 or more points per game.
The Lancers will be one of the least battle-tested teams in the tournament as they rank 297th in the country in strength of schedule. They sit at 162nd in the NET Rankings and had just one matchup against Quad 1 opponents this year which was a 78-69 loss to Dayton.
Longwood also went 1-2 in Quad 2 matchups, losing to St. Bonaventure and splitting a pair of games with High Point. They did most of their damage against lesser opponents, going 12-6 in Quad 4 games but just 4-4 in Quad 3 matchups. Houston will be the best team they have played this year by a significant margin.
Houston vs Longwood odds
Below are the odds for this matchup, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:
- Spread: Houston -24.5 at -105 odds, Longwood +24.5 at -115 odds
- Moneyline: Houston -5000, Longwood +1600
- Total: Over/Under 128.5 points
Houston vs Longwood analysis
Longwood is set to take on their greatest challenge of the season and will need quite a bit to go their way to have a chance in this one. 6-foot-11 center Szymon Zapala is the only player on their roster over 6-foot-7 making their lack of size a possible issue.
While Longwood has been a good rebounding team this season, ranking 36th in the country by securing 39.0 rebounds per game, Houston possesses a level of size and athleticism they have not faced. Typically these types of underdog teams need to catch fire from beyond the arc to strike fear into their opponents' hearts, and Longwood has not shown the ability to do this throughout the season.
It is tough to be optimistic about Longwood getting anything going offensively either. Houston had a far more difficult schedule this season and the results on the defensive end speak for themselves. The Cougars have held opponents to the worst shooting percentage, the fewest field goal attempts, forced the 7th-most steals, and blocked the 33rd-most shots of any team in the country. They have stifled far more dangerous offenses and will look to impose themselves in a similar fashion in this opening-round matchup.
This marks the 4th consecutive NCAA Tournament Houston has played in but they have not achieved the level of success that has been expected. Last year’s team was eliminated in the Sweet 16 by Miami. 50.3% of the minutes played on this team and 46.3% of the scoring production returned this season with their eyes on revenge. Houston has only looked stronger throughout the regular season and now will truly be judged on how this translates to tournament success.
Houston vs Longwood pick
The talent gap between these two teams is about as large as you will find in the NCAA Tournament and expect this to be put on full display. While the 24.5 spread is a large margin, it is one Houston should have no problem covering and there is a high chance this game ends up the biggest blowout in the entire first round.
Expect Houston to impose themselves on the defensive side of the ball and for Longwood to never be able to find their offensive flow. The Lancers lack the perimeter shooting and overall guard play to create an upset. Count on the Cougars to jump out to an early lead and continue adding to it until the clock expires. Also, expect Longwood to be added to the list of opponents Houston has held under 50 points and for this to keep the game total low.
🏀 Go for Houston -24.5 and under 128.5 points with DraftKings 🏀
Houston vs Longwood game info
- Who: Houston (1) vs Longwood (16)
- Date: Friday, March 22nd
- Time: 9:20 PM EST
- Venue: FedEx Forum (Memphis, Tennessee)
- Where to watch: TNT
About the author
Sean Barnard
Sean Barnard has worked in sports media for the past five years. He has spent time as the 76ers Lead Writer for Philly Sports Network, Associate Editor at CluchPoints, Eagles Beat Reporter for YardBarker, and more. He also owns and operates his own Podcast Network called Pick Swap Media and is a radio host on Fox 102.5 The Gambler presented by iHeartMedia. Sean has written over 1500 articles and recorded over 500 podcasts and is just getting started. Based out of the Philadelphia region in the United States, Sean is a lifelong passionate sports fan who can be reached on Twitter at @Sean_Barnard1 where he rattles off basketball breakdowns and other news.
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