UAB vs Houston Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds, Picks & Predictions
High-scoring Blazers Take Aim at Upset Bid
Fresh off AAC title, Houston Eager to Cut Down More Nets
Despite injuries to key players, Houston is ready to make more noise in the NCAA Tournament. After its win over Memphis in the American Athletic Conference title game, March Madness predictions are calling for another postseason run for a Cougars’ team that advanced to the Final Four a year ago.
UAB will be making its first appearance in the March Madness bracket since 2015 against its former Conference USA rival. The Blazers have won their tournament opener seven times.
Houston (+3300) has the 14th-best odds to win the national championship while UAB is a longshot at +30000.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and March Madness Odds for UAB vs Houston. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
UAB to Keep Foot on Accelerator
There’s little question what Alabama Birmingham will attempt to do once the ball is thrown into the air. The Blazers rank in the top 20 nationally in points per game and are in the top 50 in offensive rebounds and field goal percentage.
UAB has scored more than 80 points in five straight games including 102 in a triple-overtime thriller against Middle Tennessee State in the Conference USA semifinals.
Leading scorer Jordan Walker went off for 40 points in that game and has scored at least 20 points in six games in a row. Walker, who is averaging 20.4 points per game, scores in a variety of ways. He’s had 12 games with at least four made 3-pointers and eight games with at least six free throws. In three games in the conference tournament, he had 14 3-pointers and 31 free throws while averaging 31.0 points.
The Blazers have been without valuable reserve Josh LeBlanc since Feb. 19 due to a knee injury. LeBlanc averages 4.6 points and 5 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game.
UAB has won seven games in a row but is just 3-4 against the college basketball spreads in those contests.
Bad Back Didn’t Slow White or Houston in AAC Final
Houston finally received some good news in the injury department.
Fabian White was limited to three minutes in the American Athletic Conference semifinal win over Tulane when his back tightened up. He was questionable going into the title game against a red-hot Memphis team that upset the Cougars in the previous matchup.
There was no questioning White’s impact in the title game victory as he had 20 points in 29 minutes. With the exception of his short stint in the AAC semifinals, White has scored in double figures in every game since late January.
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson to ESPN on Fabian White Jr: “He’s a senior. He’s been through all the wars.”
— Andy Yanez (@AYanez_5) March 13, 2022
Houston has been dealing with injuries all season long. It began when Kiyron Powell, who played in 14 games on Houston’s Final Four team last season, redshirted before playing a game this season. Leading scorer Marcus Sasser suffered a season-ending toe injury in late December and Tramon Mark, who averaged 10.1 points in seven games, was sidelined for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Despite the injuries, Houston won the AAC regular-season title and conference tournament.
White is joined by Kyler Edwards, Josh Carlton and Taze Moore to give Houston more than enough dynamic offensive playmakers to make another run deep into the tournament this season.
Six of Houston’s last seven games went over the Las Vegas odds total.
UAB vs Houston Head-to-Head
The former conference rivals haven’t played since 2013 when Houston won 66-61 as a three-point favorite. Considering where the teams are now, it might be surprising to learn that UAB had won nine of the previous 11 matchups before that game.
Something that could be of interest to those who bet online: Houston has covered in five of the last eight meetings while four of the last five games between the Cougars and Blazers went under the total.
The teams haven’t played a game in March since 2005, when UAB won 71-66.
UAB vs Houston Game Information
- Game: UAB (27-7) vs. Houston (29-5)
- Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
- Day/Time: Friday, 9:20 p.m. ET
- Streaming: TBS.com
- 2022 March Madness Bracket
UAB vs Houston Betting Lines
UAB vs Houston Prediction
Houston’s run to the Final Four started with a 31-point win in the first round. The March Madness odds have UAB giving the Cougars more of a challenge than Cleveland State did in 2021, but Houston should be able to cover as it looks to carry over the momentum from the American Athletic Conference title run.
If you like up-and-down, exciting offensive showdowns, this could be the game to check out as both teams can score and aren’t afraid to push the pace.
The 135½-point total seems a bit on the low side.
Pick: Over 135½
Pick: Houston Cougars -8½
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