The Cougars are a legitimate No. 1 seed, but they don't own the free throw line. When it comes to their charity attempts against field-goal attempts, they stand a shocking 317th in the country. Houston is also outside the top 100 in free throw percentage (though it's a very good 3-point shooting team).

The Houston Cougars will face SIU Edwardsville in their first NCAA tournament game. Here's what the odds say about their chances of a deep run.

Madness picks, predictions, odds for SIU Edwardsville vs Houston first-round Midwest Region game on Thursday, March 20, 2025.