Idaho vs. Houston First Round Game Preview, Picks, Betting Odds & Data

By Thom Cunningham | Mar 18, 2026, 7:03pm

The Houston Cougars are looking to make a run in the 2026 March Madness tournament, behind one of the great coaches in Kelvin Sampson. However, they first meet with the Idaho Vandals from the Big Sky Conference. Let’s go through all the betting data and odds to consider for wagering this South Region matchup.

Idaho vs. Houston Game Information

Date: Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Network: truTV
Region: South
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Venue: Paycom Center

Idaho vs. Houston Betting Resources

Idaho vs. Houston Betting Odds

Idaho vs. Houston Betting Data

Idaho Vandals

Region Odds:
Sweet 16 Odds:
Elite Eight Odds:
Final Four Odds:
National Title Odds:

Seed: No. 15
Record: 21-14
Conference: Big Sky
PS/G: 78.7
PA/G: 72.6
ORtg: 112.7
DRtg: 103.9

Houston Cougars

Region Odds:
Sweet 16 Odds:
Elite Eight Odds:
Final Four Odds:
National Title Odds:

Seed: No. 2
Record: 28-6
Conference: Big 12
PS/G: 77.1
PA/G: 62.9
ORtg: 118.4
DRtg: 96.5

Idaho vs. Houston Key Players

Idaho Vandals

Jackson Rasmussen (FR) – 13.9 ppg; 4.7 rpg
Kolton Mitchell (SO) – 13.7 ppg
Biko Johnson (SR) – 12.4 ppg

Houston Cougars

Kingston Flemings (FR) – 16.4 ppg; 5.3 apg
Emanuel Sharp (SR) – 15.3 ppg
Milos Uzan (SR) – 11.1 ppg; 4 apg

Idaho vs. Houston Betting Analysis

Idaho enters this meeting with a lot of conviction in the ATS market, covering five straight games. The Vandals are also 5-1 on the ATS when playing on a neutral court but have a major setback as an underdog. Idaho is just 3-7 ATS as an underdog. Houston isn’t much better on the spread when playing on a neutral court, posting a 3-6 record.

Idaho vs. Houston Best Bet, Pick & Prediction

The trends suggests that Idaho covers, along with the score projection below. The Over also looks like a good play, as Idaho has gone Over 140 total points in 11 straight non-conference games when playing at night. Between the two, there’s more freedom in a +24-point spread while Houston also has a 14-20 O/U record that is quite worrisome to go against – especially with that defense.

Score Prediction: Houston 75, Idaho 68
Best Bet: Idaho +24 (-110)

Photo Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel

Thom Cunningham

Thom Cunningham is the Lineups.com News Editor and has been involved with sports media for almost two decades at Spectrum, VegasInsider.com, Oddschecker, VSiN and much more as a content producer - focused on the betting and gaming space over the last decade tracking insights, data analytics and covering various markets from the NFL to the Oscars.