(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

We are back with the second round of March Madness, and there is a highly anticipated matchup between no. 1 Houston Cougars (31-4) and no. 9 Texas A&M? Aggies (21-14). A matchup in the south region, both teams will compete to advance to the Sweet 16.

With Houston named one of four top-seeded teams, they enter this game as 10-point favorites against the Aggies. Having finished first in the Big 12, they ultimately lost to Iowa State 69-41 in the Big 12 Conference Title. A favored NCAA title contender last season, how could we forget Miami's 89-75 upset over Houston in the Elite Eight? 31-4 on the season, the Cougars are coming off a massive 86-46 first-round takeover against Longwood.

Once again, Houston has been a formidable force on the defense, ranking top in the nation in defensive efficiency (.857). In a fairly competitive conference, the Cougars had impressive victories over Texas A&M, Kansas, BYU, Texas, Baylor, and Texas Tech.

Led by head coach Kelvin Sampson, they hold opponents to a national low of 56.7 points per game. Aside from their stifling defense, this is a Cougars team that doesn't allow opponents to shoot over 30 percent from deep and the floor.

Tonight, the Houston Cougars will match up against the Texas A&M Aggies, in Memphis, Tennessee. Slated to tip off at 8:40 p.m. ET, Houston is once again, favored the win the money line with -430 odds.

Houston has +550 odds to win the NCAA Championship

While the Cougars are mainly propelled by defense, they rank middle of the pack in offense, putting up 73.4 points per game. Led by former Baylor guard L.J Cryer, he's averaged 15.4 points, 1.1 steals, and 2.3 rebounds, on 39.4 percent three-point shooting. With Jamal Shead returning for his fourth season, he's led the backcourt with 13 points, 6.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game.

According the ESPN, the Cougars have a 91.7 percent chance to win this game outright. In a massive defeat over Longwood, Cryer put up a team-high 17 points, along with two steals. Shooting above average form deep (47.8), Houston dominated in the paint 40-14.

Although the talent gap was considerable for this matchup, the Cougars held Longwood to 16 first-half points, on a game final 14-41 (34.1 percent) from the floor. In the victory, sophomore Emanuel Sharp, Cryer, and Shead once again led the way.

Texas A&M has +10000 odds to win it all

For the Aggies, they finished 21-14, and 7th in an extremely competitive SEC. With key wins over Florida, and Kentucky, they've struggled against top teams. I note this because some of the teams they've faced, are still alive in the NCAA tournament.

The SEC has always been difficult for Texas A&M to stand out in, and they suffered losses to Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, FAU, and Houston. Looking for their first-ever NCAA title in school history, the Aggies advanced to the second round for the first time since the 2017-2018 season.

In the first round, they surprised many, with a 9-8 seed 98-83 upset over Nebraska. Led by five players with points in double figures, it was junior guard Wade Taylor IV, that had a game-high 25 points, in 5-10 three-point shooting.

The Aggies, who aren't the best three-point shooting team, finished the game nearly 57 percent from beyond the arc. They utilized their size inside the paint and on the boards, which could play a factor in tonight's matchup.

Back in December, the Cougars and Aggies matched up for the first time since 2013. In a close-knit game, Houston came away with the 70-66 victory over Texas A&M at home. In the last three matchups, Texas A&M is 2-1 against Houston, and 3-0 in covering the spread.

For those interested in betting on this matchup, I've compiled all the necessary data, odds, and statistics to facilitate informed betting predictions for Sunday, Mar. 24.

ODDS ARE CURRENT AS OF MAR. 24 AT 5:00 P.M. ET

MARCH MADNESS: HOUSTON COUGARS VS. TEXAS A&M AGGIES FANDUEL ODDS FOR MAR. 22

MONEY LINE

• HOUSTON COUGARS: -430
• TEXAS A&M AGGIES: +330

SPREAD

• HOUSTON COUGARS: -8.5 (-120)
• TEXAS A&M AGGIES: +8.5 (-102)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER: 134.5 (-110)
• UNDER: 145.5 (-110)

BEST MARCH MADNESS FANDUEL ODDS FOR HOUSTON COUGARS VS. TEXAS A&M AGGIES

• The Houston Cougars are 8.5-point favorites against the Texas A&M Aggies.? FanDuel currently has the best odds at (-120).
• The Texas A&M Aggies are the underdogs by 8.5 to cover the spread tonight. Again, FanDuel currently has the best odds at -102 for Texas A&M to cover the spread
• FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at -110 for the under, and -110 for the over.

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HOUSTON COUGARS VS. TEXAS A&M AGGIES INJURY REPORT

HOUSTON COUGARS INJURY REPORT

• Joseph Tugler, F: Out (foot)
• Ramon Walker Jr., G: Out (knee)
• Terrance Arceneaux, G: Out (achilles)

TEXAS A&M AGGIES? INJURY REPORT

• Julius Marble II, F: Out
• Bryce Lindsay, G: Out

HOUSTON COUGARS STATISTICS & BETTING TRENDS

*ATS = Against the Spread

*O/U = Over/Under

TEXAS A&M AGGIES STATISTICS & BETTING TRENDS

*ATS = Against the Spread

*O/U = Over/Under

SPREAD: TEXAS A&M AGGIES +8.5

• (-102) FanDuel

The Texas A&M Aggies are highly overshadowed in a competitive SEC conference, and will have their biggest test of the tournament tonight. While several teams don't have familiarity, luckily for the Aggies, they played Houston once already. Back in December, Texas A&M dominated the second quarter, however, they conceded to the Cougars, 70-66.

In a close matchup, the Aggies covered the 7.5-point spread as underdogs, a line similar for tonight. Overall, the Aggies shot under 40 percent from the floor, and let the Cougars get the best of them in the paint.

What's slightly concerning, is Wade Taylor IV led the way for Texas A&M with 34 points. As the only player with points in double figures, he accounted for 52 percent of the team's total offense. While the Aggies are a terrible three-point shooting team, they have size, and that's an area where Houston lacks.

Covering the spread in the last three matchups against Houston, Texas A&M is 6-4 against the spread in their last ten matchups. Although they've been blown out by Tennessee this year, they've kept things close not only with Houston, but with Kentucky, Iowa State, and Ole Miss.

Speaking of size, there's one advantage that Aggies have, and that's their ability to rebound. Ranked top in the nation on the boards (42.6), they are one of the most efficient teams on the offensive glass. Although Houston is favored to win it all, next to UConn, could the Aggies be the ones to knock them off? Currently, all no. 1 seeds in the bracket remain in play.

TEXAS A&M COVERED THE +7.5 POINT SPREAD VS. HOUSTON IN DECEMBER

We all know Houston plays stifling defense, the the Aggies are familiar with this. Similar to Texas A&M, the Cougars aren't the best beyond the arc, and finished shooting over 40 percent from deep in their last matchup. Even without guard Tyrece Radford, the Aggies kept it within four points. I fully expect Radford to have a colossal role tonight, especially since he added 20 points against Nebraska in the first round.

The Aggies are a rim-running team, who resembles the realm of old-school basketball. Top ten in attempts from the charity stripe, the Aggies average 24.1 free-throw attempts per game.

There are a few reasons why I love the Aggies to cover tonight. Taylor has been playing out of his mind, averaging 29 points over their last three contests. More importantly, a team that ranks 348th in three-point shooting is 45.6 percent from three. Shooting at a high clip from deep against Nebraska, Florida, and Kentucky is nothing to sniff at.

It is possible, that this is who they really are? Was the entire season a fluke in terms of shooting percentage? While the Cougars are limiting opponents to 29.6 percent from deep, the Aggie's attack on offensive will present more versatility if they can strike from deep.

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THE AGGIES CAN MAKE UP POINTS FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE

While this is possible, I do expect the Aggies to come back down to earth, especially with the way Houston's been ranked defensively over the last couple of years. 7-5 against the spread as an underdog on the season, it may be the extra points from the charity stripe that will give them the points.

Houston struggles to shoot the rock, at a 43.8 percent from the floor. Furthermore, they shoot less than 70 percent from the stripe. In another non-conference matchup, I firmly believe the Aggies will have to also limit their turnovers if they want to cover, or flat-out win the money line.

Overall, Houston is 5-4-1 against the spread over their last 10 matchups, and their loss to Iowa State was concerning. While they covered large spreads against Texas Tech, TCU, and Kansas, Texas A&M will surely give them a run tonight.

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