Houston vs Longwood Prediction 3-22-24 College Basketball Picks
Longwood Lancers (21-13) vs. Houston Cougars (30-4)
March 22, 2024 9:20 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Cougars -22.5; Over/Under: +128
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The Longwood Lancers and the Houston Cougars meet Friday in the college basketball NCAA Tournament First Round at the FedExForum. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Longwood vs. Houston Prediction. The winner of this game will meet Texas A&M or Nebraska in the next round.
Longwood Team Preview
The Longwood Lancers come into this one on behalf of the Big South Conference, finishing the year 21-13 overall as the conference championship. Walyn Napper leads Longwood in scoring with 14.6 PPG and in assists with 4.6 APG along with 4 RPG and 1.6 SPG while Johnathan Massie has 11.4 PPG with 5.3 RPG. Szymon Zapala has 10 PPG with 5.7 RPG and Michael Christmas has 11.5 PPG with 6.2 RPG to lead the Lancers on the glass, rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for the Lancers so far this season. As a team, Longwood is averaging 75.6 PPG on 45.6% shooting from the field, 34.3% from three and 68.1% from the foul line this season.
Houston Team Preview
The Houston Cougars come into this game repping the Big 12, finishing the year with an overall record of 30-4. The Cougars finished the regular season above Iowa State and Baylor but lost the Big 12 Championship game to the Cyclones. LJ Cryer leads the Cougars in scoring with 15.8 PPG along with 1.9 APG while Emanuel Sharp has 12.4 PPG and 3.8 RPG and Jamal Shead has 13.2 PPG with a team-high 6.2 APG as well to lead the Cougars in assists and to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Houston so far this season. J’Wan Roberts has a team-high 6.9 RPG up to this point in the year. As a team, Houston is averaging 74.1 PPG on 43.8% shooting from the field, 34.7% from three and 68.5% from the foul line this season.
Longwood vs. Houston Prediction
I’m on Houston here. I just don’t see Longwood being able to compete here as the Cougars had a tendency to demolish anyone that stepped in their way for the better part of the season. Houston’s a 1-seed for a reason, and this Cougars team is not a team to be messed with in my eyes. Give me the Cougars in this one.
