Is #1 Houston a Winning Pick for the 2023 NCAA Championship?

All eyes are on Sunday, March 12 and the bracket selection for March Madness, but before we get to that point, there is the business of the conference tournaments to attend to. For the teams guaranteed a spot in the tournament, the conference games are little more than prep for the major event, but that being said, those teams will still want to go onto March Madness on a positive run of form.

Let’s face it, every team comes into the season with a checklist of things they want to achieve, and you have to say that the Houston Cougars probably only have one item remaining on their list, which is to win the National Championship.

They ended the season as the #1 seed, but will that translate to success in the tournament? Let’s break it all down with MyBookie’s betting prediction for NCAA Championship.

Is #1 Houston a Winning Pick for the 2023 NCAA Championship?

The Cougars Regular Season

The Cougars ended the regular season with a 29-2 record, with their losses this season coming against Alabama, who ended the year ranked #4, and a surprise loss to Temple. That latter defeat could have been crippling, but the Cougars brushed it off and went on a run that saw them win 11 straight games to close out the regular season. They also won the regular season conference championship for the 4th time in 5 years and look like a good bet to win the conference tournament this week.

This is not a team that is an offensive juggernaut, with their 76 PPG putting them somewhere in the middle of the pack in scoring, Where they really excel, though, is on defense, with their 56.5 PPG allowed being the 2nd best in the nation behind North Texas. If the old adage about defense winning championships is to be believed, then you have to say that the Houston Cougars are certainly in with a shot. The bookies certainly seem to agree, as they have them in as the favorite to win it all this season.

The Cougars Tournament History

If Houston is to go on and win a National Championship this season, they are going to have to go against history, as they have never won it before. The Cougars have appeared in the tournament 30 times, coming in as runner-up in both 1984 and 85. If we are going to talk recent history, then 2021 was their best performance of late, as they made it into the Final Four back then. All told, they have been to the Final Four, which will be held in Houston this season, no less than 6 times.

Will The Cougars Win It All?

The general consensus seems to be that it will be the Houston Cougars cutting down the nets once the tournament is over and done with. They have a lot of things in their favor, with that defense, as well as home court advantage coming into play if they can make a deep run. We will need to wait and see how the bracket looks when it is announced on Sunday night, but you do have to say that Houston does indeed look like a good bet to go all the way.

NCAA Selection Sunday

Nets vs Bucks Game Info | Updated NCAAB Odds
When: Sun, Mar 12, 2023
Where: CBS: 6 and 8 p.m. ET
Filed: 68 teams

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