Houston vs. Idaho Dunkel Predictions & Vegas Odds - First Round

The No. 2 seed Houston Cougars (28-6) and the No. 15 seed Idaho Vandals (21-14) will meet on Thursday at 10:10 p.m. ET in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Houston is a 23.5-point favorite in the contest, which airs on truTV. Here's everything you need to know ahead of this 2-15 matchup in the South Region bracket. The matchup has an over/under of 136.5 points.

In its most recent outing on Saturday, Houston suffered a 79-74 loss to Arizona. Joseph Tugler scored a team-leading 20 points for Houston in the loss. Idaho's most recent contest on Wednesday ended in a 77-66 victory against Montana. In Idaho's win, Isaiah Brickner led the way with 23 points (adding 10 rebounds and zero assists).

Houston vs. Idaho Odds and Game Time

• When: Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Spread favorite: Houston -23.5
• Moneyline favorite: Houston -9091
• Moneyline underdog: Idaho +2340
• Over/Under: 136.5 points

How to watch Houston vs. Idaho

• TV Channel: truTV
• Check out the rest of our Dunkel Index NCAA Basketball Picks!

Betting the Over/Under: Houston vs. Idaho

• A total of 18 of Houston's games this season have gone over Thursday's over/under of 136.5 points.
• In Idaho's 31 games this season, 27 finished with more combined points than Thursday's over/under of 136.5.
• The total for the contest of 136.5 is 19.3 points fewer than the combined points per game averages for the Cougars (77.1 points per game) and the Vandals (78.7 points per game).
• These two teams give up a combined 135.5 points per game, 1.0 less than this contest's over/under.
• On average, Houston has seen a 140.0-point over/under in its games this season, 3.5 more points than the over/under in this matchup.
• The over/under for this matchup is 14.7 points lower than the average over/under in Idaho's games this season (151.2 points).

Betting the Spread: Houston vs. Idaho

• In Houston's 34 games this season, it has 16 wins against the spread.
• So far this season, the Cougars have been installed as favorites by a 23.5-point margin or more seven times and are 4-3 ATS in those matchups.
• Idaho has played 31 games, with 15 wins against the spread.
• Houston is 15-1 overall, and 9-7 against the spread, at home.
• As a 23.5-point favorite or more at home, Houston is 4-3 ATS.
• On the road, Idaho is 7-9 against the spread, and 7-9 overall.

Betting the Moneyline: Houston vs. Idaho

• This season, Houston has been moneyline favorites 28 times and won 24, or 85.7%, of those games.
• The Cougars have entered three games this season favored by -9091 or more, and won each of those games.
• The implied probability of a win from Houston, based on the moneyline, is 98.9%.
• Idaho has been a moneyline underdog in 10 games this season and has come away with the win three times (30%) in those contests.
• The Vandals have yet to play a game this season with longer moneyline odds than +2340.
• Idaho has an implied victory probability of 4.1% according to the moneyline set by sportsbooks for this matchup.