The top two teams in the Midwest Region fight it out for a spot in the Elite 8. Houston’s path was anything but easy in the past two games. It went down to the wire against Gonzaga and Purdue, winning by seven points combined. Their opponent is Tennessee, which defeated bluebloods UCLA and Kentucky more convincingly. 

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Houston injury report

Tennessee injury report

Houston vs Tennessee series history

Houston vs Tennessee game prediction

This is going to be one of the hardest-fought games of the entire NCAA Tournament, with these being two of the top three teams in all of college basketball on the defensive end, per kenpom. But don’t underestimate their offensive capabilities, as the Cougars are also one of the best shooting units in the nation. 

LJ Cryer leads Houston with 15.3 ppg, while Milos Uzan (11.8 ppg and 4.4 apg) is playing some of his best ball. He’s coming off a 22-point and six-assist game in the win over Purdue, including a career-high 6/9 shooting from three-point range. 

Tennessee counters with All-SEC guard Chaz Lanier, who leads the team with 18 ppg. Zakai Zeigler (13.9 ppg and 7.5 apg) is one of the best point guards in the nation, and his matchup with Uzan will be a key area to watch in this game. 

The betting odds say that this will be a “first to 60” kind of gam,e and I agree. But Houston can score a bit easier than the Vols, who rely on Lanier a lot to win big games. If the Cougars shut him down, they’ll have a good shot to win this one.

Prediction: Houston 65, Tennessee 61