Houston Cougars vs Idaho Vandals: Big Favorite vs Underdog

0:00On March 19th, the Houston Cougars snagged a number two seed in the South of the region on Selection Sunday. They faced a 15-seed Idaho Vandals on Thursday March 19th at 9-10pm inside Oklahoma City's Pay Com Center. Houston sits as 23 and a half point favorites, with ESPN analytics giving them a 98.2% win probability. Coach Kelvin Samson has history with Idaho from his Washington State tenure between 1987 and 1994. His teams met the Vandals eight times back then, but Idaho held a 5-3 edge in those matchups. Idaho leans on fresh talent to compete. Freshman forward, Jackson Rasmussen tops their scoring at 13.9 points per game, while sophomore guard Colton Mitchell chips in 13.7. Those two powered the Vandals to a big-sky conference tournament championship. The Vandals pack height that could rattle Houston. Houston stands six-foot-seven and creates mismatches inside, backed by forwards Brody

1:00Roberi and Seth Jova. If they curb the Cougars' offensive rebounds, an ongoing weak spot might keep things close. This marks the first NCAA tournament meeting between the programs, setting up a classic big favorite against Gritty Underdog early on.