The No. 1 seed Houston Cougars (32-3, 19-2 AAC) face the No. 9 seed Auburn Tigers (21-12, 10-9 SEC) Saturday at Legacy Arena in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Auburn beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 83-75 at Legacy Arena on Thursday in the First Round.
With 19 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks, Johni Broome had a standout performance. Houston got the win in the First Round on Thursday at Legacy Arena, beating the Northern Kentucky Norse 63-52. Jarace Walker scored 16 to top the scoresheet. With 11 points and 12 rebounds, J’Wan Roberts also played a part.
The Tigers have been led this season by Wendell Green Jr. and Broome, who are averaging 13.9 and 13.7 points per game, respectively. Broome also has grabbed 8.2 rebounds per game, while Green Jr. has dished 4.1 assists per game.
Marcus Sasser (16.2 ppg) has been the primary provider of the Cougars’ offense. Roberts is averaging 7.9 rebounds per game, and Jamal Shead is tallying 5.4 assists.
The Cougars are one of the best scoring defenses in the country, ranking second with 56.4 points per game allowed. Auburn is 4-6 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -0.1 (75.3-75.4). For the season, the Tigers are averaging 73.0 points per game, compared to 67.3 for opponents.
Houston has a 9-1 record over the last 10, scoring 72.4 points per game on average while holding opponents to 59.7 (+12.7 margin). The Cougars are averaging 74.7 ppg for the full season while allowing 56.4.
TIGERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Tre Donaldson: 7.0 | 4.8 | +2.2
Dylan Cardwell: 5.0 | 8.2 | -3.2
Points per game:
K.D. Johnson: 12.4 | 8.6 | +3.8
Rebounds per game:
Jaylin Williams: 3.4 | 4.6 | -1.2
Assists per game:
Wendell Green Jr.: 3.0 | 4.1 | -1.1
COUGARS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Marcus Sasser: 13.8 | 22.0 | -8.2
Points per game:
Jamal Shead: 14.6 | 10.4 | +4.2
Marcus Sasser: 10.4 | 16.2 | -5.8
Rebounds per game:
J’Wan Roberts: 11.6 | 7.9 | +3.7
Assists per game:
Marcus Sasser: 1.2 | 3.0 | -1.8
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Houston -5.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
