Posted on 3/24/2008 6:27:29 PM

NCAA Invitational Basketball Sports Betting Valparaiso at Houston

By Charles Jay

BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: Houston -8.5, Total 148

The Crusaders of Valparaiso (22-13 SU, 15-15-1 ATS), who pulled off a nice surprise in the first round of College Basketball Invitational (CBI) play, will travel again on Monday night, this time to Houston, where they will take on the Houston Cougars (23-9 SU, 15-12 ATS) in a quarterfinal CBI contest that is set to tip off at 9 PM ET (in a time change) at the Hofheinz Pavilion.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Houston is listed as an 8.5-point favorite, with a total of 148 points.

Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* VALPO has won seven of its last eight games SU

* VALPO has covered three of its last four games

* VALPO has played four of its last five games OVER the total

* VALPO has covered two of its last eight road games

* HOU has covered one of its last five games

* HOU has won five of its last six home games SU

* HOU has played five of its last six games OVER the total

Houston earns a home game here by virtue of its nail-biting, 80-79 win over Nevada at Reno, achieved despite just 38% shooting. But the Cougars hit 14 shots from beyond the arc, and Robert McKiver (pronounced Mack-ee-ver) burned the Wolf Pack for 22 points, including four-for-seven from tripleville. McKiver, a transfer from Providence, averaged 23 points a game, with a high of 52 against Southern Miss on February 27. He is a challenge for Valpo to stop.

Of course one of the other things that help’s Houston's cause is that Valparaiso, a small school in Northern Indiana, did not wish to pony up the $60,000 gate guarantee that is required by the CBI's organizers.

But do not write off pesky Valpo. The Crusaders went to Seattle and dropped a bomb on Pac-10 representative Washington in the opener, scoring a pressure-filled 72-71 win which was even more impressive in that the Huskies had its big man, Jon Brockman, in the lineup and contributing (22 points, 12 rebounds) after being listed as questionable for the game.

Coach Homer Drew, as we know, is no stranger to pulling off upsets in tournament play, and in his team's first season in the Horizon League he chalked up a 20-win season and an invite into the post-season in what was supposed to be rebuilding year. Valpo brings strength in terms of its scoring balance - with all five starters in double figures. And while Houston may be second in all of Division I in making three-pointers, the Crusaders are no slouch either (over nine per game). The wild card here is that 6'11" freshman power forward Bryan Bouchie may be coming into his own, as evidenced by a 20-point performance going up against Brockman and Washington. He'll be useful against Dion Dowdell.

Houston presses on defense, but well-coached, well-drilled Valpo can handle it without catastrophic problems. And they have enough offensive pop to keep this one interesting for the entire 40 minutes. We'll take the points with Valparaiso, the 8.5-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: VALPARAISO

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)