With the NCAA Tournament just days away, odds are starting to be released for March Madness, and of the No. 1 seeds, the Houston Cougars have the worst odds of reaching the Final 4, according to BetOnline.ag.
The Houston Cougars are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional and are +125 to win the region and reach the Final 4. That means a $1 bet will win you $1.25.
All the other No. 1 seeds in their respective regions have better odds to win their respective regions. In the East Region, Duke is -125 to win and reach the Final Four, meaning you have to spend $1.25 to win $1. Auburn has the same odds as Duke to win its South Region. And in the West Region, Florida is an even bigger favorite at -130, meaning $1.30 bet wins you $1.
Houston will take on SIU Edwardsville on March 20th or 21st in Wichita, Kansas. The winner will play either Gonzaga or Georgia in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Interestingly, No. 8 seed Gonzaga has the third-best odds in the region to win the Midwest Regional, following Houston and No. 2 seed Tennessee.
Last season, the Houston Cougars were the No. 1 seed in the South Regional. The Cougars wound up losing to the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16 by a score of 54-51, once Jamal Shead went down with an injury.
Houston Basketball Information Ahead of March Madness
Houston finished the regular season with a 30-4 record, including a 19-1 record in Big 12 play. The Cougars outlasted Arizona in the Big 12 Championship Game to seal both the regular season title and post-season tournament title.
The Cougars are led by L.J. Cryer, who leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.2 points per game. Cryer was a First-Team All-Big 12 selection this year. As the Big 12’s best team in the regular season, Houston understandably took home a lot of post-season honors. Joseph Tugler became the second-straight Houston athlete to take home Defensive Player of the Year (Jamal Shead in 2023-24), Cryer won Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and Kelvin Sampson took home Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.
Houston has made 26 NCAA Tournament appearances while reaching 6 Final Fours, which is the most of any team to not win a National Championship. The Cougars have an overall record of 40-30 in March Madness.
