Oregon State Beavers vs Houston Cougars Elite 8 Betting Picks, Lines, Predictions & Odds
No. 12 seed, Oregon State, will try to extend its Cinderella Elite 8 betting run as they face No.2 Houston in the first game of the Elite Eight. The game takes place on Monday evening at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Beavers have already knocked out three higher seeds to get here. Their unlikely run started three weeks ago when they won the PAC 12 Tournament as a fifth seed. They have now won six consecutive games and 9 out of the last 10. Besides, Oregon State has been one of the most profitable teams during the last 10 weeks. They went 18-3-1 ATS over that stretch. The Beavers now post a 20-12 record for the whole season.
The Cougars are on an unbeaten run of their own. They have now gone 10 games without losing. Over the season, Houston is 27-3 SU and has a 21- 9 ATS record. They brought their regular-season form to Indianapolis and are hoping for the first Final 4 since 1984.
Oregon State Beavers vs Houston Cougars Elite 8 Betting Line Movement
Opening Elite 8 betting odds favored the Cougars at -8.5. However, Oregon State’s recent ATS streak drove most of the early action their way, moving the line to -8. Some bookies even have it at -7.5. The total opened at 131 and dropped slightly since, to 130 at most sportsbooks.
Notes On The Oregon State Beavers
On both sides of the court, Oregon State owned the three-point line so far. They’ve been scorching hot from beyond the Elite 8 betting arc lately, shooting 41.8% in the last six games. Their overall shot percentage isn’t that spectacular but they get to the line a lot and make most of their free throws. In the Sweet 16, they shot 18-20 from the line. Defensively, the Beavers are aggressive on the perimeter and don’t give away any easy shots. In the last round, Loyola Chicago shot 5-23 from the deep and had an ugly 33% from the field. Over the entire postseason, The Beavers are holding their opponents at a 38% field goal percentage.
The key player for the Oregon State is Ethan Thomas. The senior guard raised his game to another level since arriving at the tournament. Thomas averaged 15.8 ppg this season, but over the three March Madness rounds, he’s averaging 20.3 points.
Notes On The Houston Cougars
The Cougars got through to Elite Eight by doing what they do best – playing defense. After the second-round scare against Rutgers, they held Syracuse in the Sweet 16 to only 46 points, 5 assists, and an abysmal 5-23 from three. As good as Oregon State is defensively, Houston is even better. Over the season, they rank as the 2nd best defensive team in the country. However, they do have some issues on offense. The Cougars often struggle to score and shoot only 38.3 from the field against the Orange. Luckily for them, they dominate on the boards, especially on offense. They outrebounded their rivals so far 118-74, including 43-22 on the offensive boards. The Cougars scored 40 second-chance points in the first three rounds.
The AAC Player of the Year, Quentin Grimes is leading the team in scoring. Grimes has 18.0 points per game, plus 8.0 Elite 8 betting rebounds.
Oregon State Beavers Houston Cougars Elite 8 Betting Pick: UNDER 130
The Elite 8 betting total may seem low, but considering who’s playing, not so much. The Cougars look like the best defensive team at the tournament, and the Beavers are no joke at that end either. Both teams prefer to play at a slow pace, so expect this one to be a low-scoring slugfest.
