The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association as a member team of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center, located in Downtown Houston.
Houston vs Arizona: Odds| Picks| Predictions| March Madness
Odds:
And then there was one. Just a couple of hours after overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga went down in a heap in the West Region against No. 4 seed Arkansas, No. 5 seed Houston sent No. 1 Arizona spiraling out of the South with a 72-60 victory.
With the Wildcats’ loss, three of the field’s four No. 1 seeds have been bounced before the regional finals.
Picks:
Baylor was the first No. 1 seed to exit the field — North Carolina knocked off the Bears in the second round — meaning Kansas is the lone No. 1 seed remaining, with the Jayhawks facing their own challenging Sweet 16 contest against No. 4 seed Providence on Friday.
Since the NCAA Tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the semifinals have been played without a single No. 1 seed just twice. Here’s what Houston’s victory on Thursday night means.
Predictions:
Despite being the No. 5 seed, Houston will be favored over No. 2 seed Villanova as well, according to KenPom. The website projected a 74-73 victory over Arizona, giving Houston a 51% chance to win.
The early projection on Houston-Villanova again sees the Cougars as a two-point favorite, this time at 65-63, with Houston given a 57% chance to win.
With Gonzaga’s exit, Houston is now KenPom’s top-ranked team in the NCAA Tournament field, followed by the site’s No. 5 overall team in Kansas.
March Madness:
Situations could be a bit more fluid with Christian Koloko, who was one of the nation’s best two-way big men but could be a borderline first-round pick right now, and with versatile wing Dalen Terry.
Houston (32-5) led Arizona (33-4) by six points at halftime, but pushed its advantage into double digits as the second half went on and the Wildcats failed to unlock the Cougars’ defense.
