Texas A&M vs. Houston odds and pick for 3/24: Can Aggies cover again?

Texas A&M vs. Houston Odds

Sunday, March 24. 8:40 p.m. ET, TNT

Odds via bet365. Get up-to-the-minute NCAAB odds here.

Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M is one of college basketball's worst 3-point shooting teams (29%) this season, but it found a different stride in a blowout win over Nebraska. The Aggies went 13-for-23 (56%) from 3, just shy of doubling their season average.

A&M won't shoot 56% from 3 against Houston. However, it did shoot it well during the SEC Tournament, so it's a four-game sample instead of a one-game anomaly.

It boils down to whether Wade Taylor IV is shooting it well or not. The Aggies standout guard is hitting 32% from 3 this year, and he needs to get it rolling against Jamal Shead's suffocating defense.

Taylor, Radford and Manny Obaseki's emergence could dictate how the Aggies' offense flows. Radford is more of a driver than Taylor, but Obaseki has a bit of both skills.

Taylor averages 19 points, Radford averages 16 and Obaseki is putting up 16 points in the past eight games. He's gotten hot and has turned the Aggies into a different team.

Taylor is super streaky, but I want him running my team in the biggest games. He's a scorer that's more than willing to involve teammates and set the table.

Houston is stunningly bad at defensive rebounding, ranking 227th in defensive rebound percentage. That means the Aggies could smash the Coogs on the offensive glass.

Houston Cougars

Houston bounced back from a disappointing Big 12 Championship loss against Iowa State to beat Longwood, 86-46. The Cougars' offense showed up, shooting 58% from the field and 47% from 3.

Houston needed a strong offensive showing for confidence — if nothing else.

The Cougars play relentless defense for 40 minutes. Houston's top-ranked defense doesn't allow many defensive lapses, forcing turnovers on 24.8% of possessions while limiting teams to a 43.9% effective field goal percentage.

Shead and LJ Cryer dictate whether Houston's offense succeeds, but Damian Dunn's 17 points off the bench against Longwood can't be understated.

You need big performances from unexpected sources in March, and perhaps Dunn could use the outstanding first-round game to propel a strong scoring run in March.

Houston isn't a great offensive team, ranking 16th in efficiency. The Coogs post the 11th-best offensive rebounding percentage in college hoops (37%), so if the first shot doesn't fall, they're likely to get another look.

Forwards J'Wan Roberts and Ja'Vier Francis are a pair of Kelvin Sampson-style bigs who defend relentlessly and crash the glass on misses. They won't put up lopsided scoring numbers, but both are high-level, winning players.

Texas A&M vs. Houston

Betting Pick & Prediction

The Aggies covered the spread in the first meeting, and I think it'll happen again. This time, A&M is worth an ML sprinkle, too.

I actually have the Aggies advancing to the Elite Eight in my bracket for a couple of reasons:

1. The defense is better than the numbers indicate. They allow 3s on 44% of their field goals, so variance creeps in.
2. Their shooting lights out at the right time, which matters in March.

Houston isn't unbeatable, and the Aggies don't turn the ball over, so shooting is the deciding factor in this game's outcome.

Pick: Texas A&M +10