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The No. 1 seed Houston Cougars (31-3) and the No. 16 seed Northern Kentucky Norse (22-12) will meet on Thursday at 9:20 PM in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Houston is a 19.5-point favorite in the matchup, which airs on TNT. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this 1-16 matchup in the Midwest Region bracket.
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How do I watch Cougars vs. Norse?
- Game Day: Thursday, March 16, 2023
- Game Time: 9:20 PM ET
- TV Channel: TNT
- Location: Birmingham, Alabama
- Arena: Legacy Arena at BJCC
Betting Lines for Cougars vs. Norse
| Favorite | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | -19.5 | 122 |
Houston Betting Stats & Information
- Houston has a 26-3 record in games when it was listed as the moneyline favorite (winning 89.7% of those games).
- The Cougars have played in seven games as a moneyline favorite with odds of -5143 or shorter and won every time.
- The Cougars are 18-15-1 ATS this season.
- Houston’s average total in matchups this year has been 131.5, 9.5 points higher than the over/under in this particular game.
Northern Kentucky Betting Stats & Info
- This season, Northern Kentucky has won four out of the 10 games in which it has been the underdog.
- The Norse have not entered a game this season with longer moneyline odds than +1610.
- The Norse’s ATS record is 14-18-0 this season.
- The average total in Northern Kentucky’s games this year is 9.8 more points than the point total of 122 for this outing.
Houston vs. Northern Kentucky Season Stat Comparison
| Houston Rank | Houston AVG | Northern Kentucky AVG | Northern Kentucky Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99th | 75 | Points Scored | 68.2 | 271st |
| 2nd | 56.5 | Points Allowed | 63.6 | 28th |
| 12th | 35.9 | Rebounds | 30.4 | 263rd |
| 6th | 11.6 | Off. Rebounds | 9.9 | 62nd |
| 126th | 7.8 | 3pt Made | 8.2 | 87th |
| 59th | 14.8 | Assists | 13.6 | 136th |
| 10th | 9.4 | Turnovers | 10.7 | 58th |
This Matchup’s Impact Players
Houston Cougars Leaders
- Marcus Sasser leads the Cougars in scoring, tallying 17.1 points per game to go with 2.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
- J’wan Roberts is Houston’s leading rebounder, grabbing 7.7 per game, while Jamal Shead is its best passer, distributing 5.4 assists in each contest.
- Sasser makes more threes per game than any other member of the Cougars, knocking down shots from beyond the arc at a clip of 2.7 per contest.
Northern Kentucky Norse Leaders
- Marques Warrick is the top scorer for the Norse with 19.1 points per game. He also adds 2.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game to his stats.
- Chris Brandon has a stat line of 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 points and 0.8 assists per game for Northern Kentucky to take the top rebound spot on the team. Xavier Rhodes holds the top spot for assists with 3.7 per game, adding 7.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per outing.
- Warrick is the top scorer from deep for the Norse, hitting 2.5 threes per game.
