The 10-seed Texas A&M Aggies took down the 7-seed Saint Mary’s Gaels on Thursday, 63-50. Texas A&M held Saint Mary’s to 38% shooting from the field. Saint Mary’s also shot 4-of-11 from the charity stripe while the Aggies converted 9-of-13. Texas A&M racked up seven more steals and had seven fewer turnovers while the Aggies were +16 in the paint.
The 2-seed Houston Cougars smothered the 15-seed Idaho Vandals, 78-47. Houston held Idaho to 29% field goal percentage and 6-of-30 from beyond the arc. Houston was +20 points in the paint.
The Aggies and Cougars will meet on Saturday with tipoff TBD.
Houston opens as a 9.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Texas A&M sits as a +350 underdog. The game total is set at O/U 144.5 points.
Houston finished with a 28-6 regular season record, good for second in the Big 12. Per Bart Torvik, Houston has a power ranking of 5 with the 12th-best offense and fifth-best defense.
Texas A&M was 22-11 and finished fourth in the SEC. The Aggies are rated as the 39th-best team with the 43rd-best offense and 46th-best defense.
